Gunshot Residue
by Shakespeare's Lemonade
Summary: The effects of Laura and Jameson's murders leave Steve's feeling there's no one he can trust. Chin is cut of from his ohana because of his choice to rejoin HPD. Can 5-0 ever come back to life? Danny/Rachel, Steve/Kono. COMPLETE.
1. Not to Reason Why

"Gunshot Residue"

Shakespeare's Lemonade

Rating: T

Genre: Friendship/Drama

Summary: The ramifications of Laura Hills' and Governor Jameson's murders go far beyond arrests and suspicion. Steve is left feeling that there is no one he can trust and nowhere to go with Danny in Jersey. Meanwhile, Chin is cut of from his "family" because of his choice to rejoin HPD. Can 5-0 ever come back to life?

Pairings: Danny/Rachel

A/N: This takes place after the events of 1.24. Thanks to SugarMuffin08 for helping me out with this idea. Any suggestions, comments, criticisms, or whatever are welcome. I want to know what you guys think.

**Chapter One "Not to Reason Why"**

"_**Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die."~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "The Charge of the Light Brigade"**_

The crashing waves never looked the same, and that used to be a comfort. Now, it was a stark reminder that life was as fickle as those waves. That people could not be trusted, friends were useless, and those who should be above reproach were as dirty as the common street thugs.

The lawn needed desperately to be mowed, and the house needed cleaned. It wasn't as if Steve McGarrett had anything better to do with his time. So, after his swim, he didn't bother eating breakfast or showering. He went straight to the shed and started mowing the lawn.

Except the mower broke down about halfway through, and he remembered that it had needed to be fixed for months. So, he gave up and went inside.

He cleaned up and by noon, he was running out of things to clean. He showered and changed into shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. Then he left the house, not knowing where he was going, but needing to get away.

It had been a month. A month since his entire world imploded. There was nothing left worth saving. Steve had never expected much happiness, but this was a whole new level of misery. If he had never taken the job...

Steve usually tried to avoid speculation of that sort, but he could help thinking of how truly blissful the ignorance would have been. Chin's name would have been cleared eventually anyway, Kono would still have become a cop, and Danny would probably still be with Rachel again. Everyone would be happy.

Now, Chin was a lieutenant, sure, but Kono was a surf instructor, and Danny was coming apart at the seams trying to fix things here while starting his life over in Jersey.

Steve drove for a long time, not really paying attention to where he was going. He was a little surprised when he ended up at a small beach. He knew who was here, and he knew the last thing she needed was to deal with him. She was trying to get on with her life.

But Steve got out of his truck and started walking. It was late afternoon and Kono had just finished her last lesson of the day. She was packing up her gear, getting ready to leave.

She looked up as she heard the flapping of Steve's shoes. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Steve replied. "Business good?"

"You didn't come here to talk about surfing."

"No... I don't know why."

"What have you been up to?"

Steve thought over the last month and he couldn't come up with a single thing to say. "Nothing."

The weight of that word sunk in for Kono. As hard as it was for her to leave the force, losing 5-0 must have been harder on Steve.

"Have you seen Danny?" she asked.

"He's been in Jersey since I was released. He's coming back tonight for a while."

"So, he can help you find Wo Fat."

"Yeah." Steve didn't sound convinced.

"Have you... talked to Chin?"

"Not since he told me I was cleared."

**H-5-O**

"_You didn't kill the governor," Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly said, coming into the interrogation room._

"_Damn it, Chin. I've been telling you that for three days," Steve said._

_Chin didn't reply to that comment. "We didn't find any GSR on you and the doctor's report confirms that you were stunned right before the governor was killed. We also have her fingerprints on your phone. She must have deleted whatever you recorded."_

"_She confessed to killing Laura Hills," Steve insisted._

"_I guess we'll never know."_

_Chin unlocked the cuffs around Steve's wrists and they both stood up._

"_You're free to go," Chin said._

"_Thanks, I guess."_

"_Steve, you know I had to do this."_

"_Yeah." Steve nodded once. "You were just doing your job."_

Just_. Chin knew what that meant: Steve thought he was a good cop, but a horrible friend. Maybe it was true._

**H-5-O**

Steve and Kono walked up the beach in silence. There seemed to be nothing to say, hardly any reason for them to be on the same beach. Finally, Kono stopped and stood in front of Steve.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked.

"I don't know," he confessed. "It's been seventeen years since I've had to wonder what to do with myself."

"I've got this." Kono gestured at their surroundings. "But you... You have to be a hero."

Steve shook his head. "A nuisance is more like it."

"You know that's not true. You did more good... I don't know what this island's going to do without you."

"No one is irreplaceable."

"Yeah. Yeah, you are." Kono nodded with conviction. "I learned more from you in the nine months of 5-0 than in all my years at the academy."

"It could never last, you know. We were... too good."

"And sabotaged from the beginning."

"We sure went out with a bang though."

"Mmhmm. Steve, why are you here, really?"

"I don't know. I couldn't sit around the house. My lawn mower broke. The place smells like bleach."

"So, you're trying to keep busy. How's that working for you?"

"Not so well, Dr. Phil. How are you doing?"

"Better than you... Ha, that's not saying much. At least, I like what I'm doing, anyway. It's not what I want, but it's something."

"And you're good at it."

"I guess I just don't see what surf lessons do for the greater good."

"Yeah. You know what, we need to go find ourselves some radioactive insects and become superheroes."

"Sure, Grasshopper-man. Why don't we just go surfing?"

Steve nodded, smiling genuinely. "Sounds good, Walkingstick."

**H-5-O**

It was getting dark by the time Steve and Kono came back from the water. They were exhausted and sore, but they both felt better.

As Steve dried off and pulled his shirt and shoes back on, he nodded at Kono. "I have to go pick up Danny," he said.

"Oh," she replied. "Could I come? I haven't heard from him since he left."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Kono, I've been meaning to ask," Steve said as they got in the truck.

"What?" she replied as they pulled out onto the street.

"How long since you talked to Chin?"

Kono bit her lip and stared out the passenger window. "The day he arrested you."

Steve was surprised, but thought he shouldn't have been. Kono knew everything Chin had been through with false accusations. She expected him to be different.

The two of them didn't talk anymore as they drove to the airport and waited by the baggage claim for their friend.


	2. Home

**Chapter Two "Home"**

"_**The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."~Maya Angelou**_

Danny Williams was dead tired as he got off the plane at Honolulu International Airport. There were a few small groups waiting near the baggage claim, but his receiving party stood out. Two very tall, slightly damp, and rather sleepy looking individuals waited for him.

"You guys look terrible," Danny said. "Waves weren't kind to you today?"

"Nah, they were great," Steve replied, grinning. He couldn't help feeling a little better knowing Danny was on the island again. But there was something left unsaid in the response. Both of them knew that.

"And how's the rookie?" Danny asked.

Kono shook her head. "That's Professor Kalakaua to you," she said.

"Yeah, I forgot."

Perhaps Danny had wanted to forget that Kono had lost her badge and given up on law enforcement. But he was there to change all that. He had no idea how he was going to work that out, but it had to happen. Danny was not leaving his surrogate family in pieces.

Rachel understood of course. She didn't have to like it, but she would have thought less of Danny if he had left Steve and Kono to fend for themselves. Danny knew it would put stress on their relationship, but they would survive. There simply was no other option.

Back at Steve's house, the three friends sat in silence, hardly touching their pizza. It wasn't the same now. They weren't 5-0 anymore and Chin was gone. They were just three completely different people, fairly incompatible without something to tie them together.

"So, what's the plan?" Kono finally asked.

Danny looked between her and Steve, hesitant.

"Go ahead," Steve said. He wasn't sure he wanted Kono involved, but at the same time, he didn't want her _not_ involved.

Danny nodded. "Okay. I'm going back to HPD. From there I'll have the resources to go after Wo Fat. Jenna is going to keep in touch. She's back in Langley, but she can still feed us information."

"So what can we do?" Kono asked.

"Keep your noses clean. I mean it. Okay? That's going to make this go away a lot faster."

Kono shook her head. "It's never going away. I mean, not for me."

"Maybe," Danny said. "Either of you talk to our friend, the lieutenant recently?"

Steve and Kono exchanged a look.

"Really?" Danny asked. "You don't think he might know something?"

"It wasn't that," Kono said. "Just..."

"Oh. I see. I guess I have to do the dirty work. Not that it doesn't make sense. It might even be better that you two don't seem to be involved."

"You think he's gonna help you?" Steve asked.

Danny sighed. "I'll find out tomorrow, I guess."

**H-5-O**

Tomorrow came too soon. Kono had fallen asleep on Steve's couch and Danny had taken up residence in the guest room. It was incredibly odd for Steve to have company at breakfast. Kono had an early lesson so she left right after eating.

"How's she doing?" Danny asked, sipping his coffee.

"All right," Steve replied. "Better than me."

"And you are?"

"What's that word people use for their teenagers? Directionless?"

"I should have come back sooner."

"No. What you should do is go home and put all this behind you."

"Hey, you know that's not happening until we get this guy, okay? He didn't just frame you; he destroyed 5-0. I can't let that go."

Steve put up his hands. "Okay. Do what you have to."

Danny got up. "I'll find out what Chin knows and let you know where they are in the investigation."

"Thanks. Danny, be careful. You don't know who you can trust at HPD, and they sure as hell won't trust you."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that. Can I have my keys, please?"

"They're on the table by the door." Steve nodded in that direction. "Try not to die, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Danny smirked and headed out. Steve had kept his car while he was gone, so it was full of gas and recently washed. There may or may not have been a nick on the front bumper, though. Danny chose to ignore it.

When Danny arrived at HPD, Chief Mahaka told him Lieutenant Kelly was expecting him. Danny wasn't sure if that were a good thing or not.

When Danny entered his office, Chin visibly brightened, until he noted Danny's cold attitude. This was not going to be easy for either of them.

"Did you have a nice trip?" Chin asked, acting like he was busy with something on his desk.

"It was terrible," Danny replied.

Chin looked up. "Shut the door."

Danny did so, but remained standing with his arms crossed. "What do you want?"

"I want to help you."

"Yeah? I'm not sure I like your idea of 'help'."

"Will you hear me out?"

"Do I have a choice, _Lieutenant_?"

"Danny, you don't have to be that way. I did what I did so that Steve _would_ be cleared."

"Took you long enough."

"It had to be watertight."

"Not that it's done him any favors."

"How is he?"

"When did you start caring?"

"Danny—"

"You were going to tell me how you're going to help me."

Chin leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and nodded. "Meet your new partner."

Danny's hands fell to his sides. "You're serious?"

Chin leaned forward again. "Of course I'm serious. Danny, you want Wo Fat; so do I. You are the best damn detective this island has ever seen, with the possible exception of Jack McGarrett."

Danny shook his head. "And what if I decide I don't want your help?"

A dark look crossed Chin's face. "Then I can make sure you get stuck investigating vandalism and convenience store robberies."

Danny spread his arms and made a mock bow. "Of course, Lieutenant. And while I'm at it, shall I betray all my friends too?"

"Watch it."

"You know me. I'll be your damn partner, but you won't enjoy it. I doubt this will work out so well as the last time I was shanghaied."

Chin couldn't help a smirk. "I thought you'd say that."

**H-5-O**

Later that day, Danny headed over to Kono's beach. She was taking a lunch break and staring out at the ocean. Her food remained untouched next to her.

"Déjà vu," Danny said, coming up beside her.

Kono looked up at him. "We've come a long way from that day," she said, remembering how her cousin had introduced her to the two men who would become her best friends, her family.

"Your students behaving?" Danny asked.

"Better than you did."

"Well, I am sort of difficult."

"Ultimate truth. So how was it?"

"Well, aside from being an arrogant SOB, I can't figure out his angle."

"What did he say?"

"Said he wanted to help me, and he was making me his partner. Then there were some threats of menial work if I didn't agree."

Kono shook her head. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."


	3. Impossible

**Chapter Three "Impossible"**

"_**It is impossible to suffer without making someone pay for it; every complaint already contains revenge."~Friedrich Nietzsche**_

Chin Ho Kelly sighed as he left his office for lunch. The thrill of walking through the department without accusing stares following him everywhere was quickly wearing off. He had been used to the suspicion, it had almost stopped bothering him. The people he actually respected believed in him.

Now, though, no one who mattered trusted him. But he was going to change that. He was going to prove that he was on their side. They would catch Wo Fat and maybe, just maybe, reinstate 5-0. It was a long shot, but nothing in Chin Ho's life so far had been easy.

He shook his head as he pulled open the door of his favorite restaurant. Sergeant Duke Lukela was sitting at a booth close to the door and Chin joined him without thinking.

"Afternoon, Lieutenant," Duke said. "I hear you've found yourself a new partner."

"You've been listening to rumors again, Duke," Chin said with a smile.

"So the loudmouth haole was just paying you a social call?"

"Who?"

Duke laughed and let the matter drop for the moment. Chin ordered his lunch and for a while the two of them made small talk. But when they were getting ready to leave, Duke brought up Danny Williams again.

"Be careful, Chin," he said. "You know he's friends with McGarrett."

"Your point?" Chin tried to keep the stress out of his voice.

"You should know better than anyone."

"Yeah." Chin got a distant look in his eyes. "I know all about false accusations. He's a lot of things, but Steve McGarrett is no murderer, and Danny Williams is the best detective alive... and a good man."

"I hope you're right. I really do."

**H-5-O**

After Danny's visit, Kono was feeling even more confused. Over the past month, she couldn't count how many times she had wanted to go find her cousin and demand answers. But every time she thought that, her eyes prickled with tears and she knew she would never be able to keep her composure if she were actually talking to Chin.

Being a surf instructor was fun. In another life, Kono would have been deliriously happy to do it forever. But she was still an outcast. No one really trusted her except Steve and Danny. She had watched Chin lose his family years before and it cut her to the heart, but this was so much worse. She never thought he would betray her, betray all of them. And she tried to believe he had a reason, but what he did hurt either way.

Kono had lost her family and friends too, but that hardly mattered. They weren't exactly happy with her for sticking by Chin. Now, he was back in and she was out. The irony was laughable.

Kono was sort of surprised when Steve had shown up the day before, but now it felt so much more natural than the month hardly seeing him. Falling asleep on his couch felt normal.

Kono dug her board into the sand and cursed. She could never be content now. She had to have her family back. Her 5-0.

**H-5-O**

When Danny returned to Steve's house that night, he was surprised at the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

"Please tell me you didn't kidnap an Italian chef," he said making his way in that direction.

"I just made spaghetti," Steve replied.

"You?" Danny stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "You cooked?"

"Why does that surprise you? I've lived on my own for... a long time."

"Well, I just figured the military fed you and then when that stopped you ate, I don't know, bugs, tree bark, grenades."

"Funny. I take it you're not hungry then?"

"Oh, no. I'm thinking I could get used to domestic Steve. The smell is... a huge improvement on yesterday's fragrance of bleach."

"Hey, I cleaned the house for you."

"And mowed half the lawn."

"The mower broke. You really aren't hungry, are you?"

"No, no. Forget I said anything. Your housekeeping skills are unsurpassed."

"Right."

There was a knock at the door and Danny went to get it. He was only half surprised to find Kono there. He invited her in and her face immediately brightened at the aroma.

"Did you make dinner, Boss?" she asked, as they came into the kitchen again.

Steve winced at the old nickname.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I guess it just feels like we're getting the band back together."

"We've got a lot to talk about," Danny said. "But that will completely ruin my appetite. So, can we pretend for ten minutes that things don't suck and eat?"

"Sure, Danno," Steve said. "Don't spill on your tie."

**H-5-O**

Dinner was over, the kitchen clean, and the sun going down in a dramatic show of red and orange. Steve, Danny, and Kono sat on the beach, drinking more than talking. It was good to be together again, but it opened up too many questions and too many unhealed wounds.

"So?" Kono said, after the silence became tedious. She looked over at Danny who nodded.

"It was an interesting day to say the least," he said.

"Define interesting," Steve said, not looking at either of them, but staring out at the waves.

"Being forced into a second partnership, receiving backhanded compliments followed by threats. I mean, I find that quite interesting."

Steve frowned. "He made you his partner?"

"Indubitably. Apparently, I'm an amazing detective."

"That's it?"

"Well, there was something about both of us wanting Wo Fat. I suppose I should be happy; I'd never have gotten on the case otherwise."

"Did he give you any explanation?" Kono asked. "Of why he went back?"

"No. I mean, I assume his original intention was to help clear up the mess with Laura Hills, but that hardly seems relevant now."

Kono shook her head. "There has to be more than that to make him stay there."

"Wo Fat," Steve said. "No way Chin's getting a shot at him without HPD. At this point, they are the only means to the end."

"Why wouldn't he just explain it to us?"

"You know him," Danny said. "He always has a reason and he doesn't trust anyone but himself."

Kono slumped back in her chair and absently kicked sand with her toes. "Not even me."

"Maybe we can prove him wrong." It sounded more like a question, and coupled with the maybe, turned out to be less hopeful than Danny intended.

The trouble was, they all understood why Chin wouldn't trust anyone. He'd been betrayed one too many times. And Steve especially was beginning to see his point of view. It was just easier not to trust anyone than suffer one betrayal after the other.

Steve knew all about betrayal. Nick, Jameson, Chin... Catherine.

But he wasn't letting it go. No, he would never really give up until the man who destroyed his life was brought to justice. With a bullet or a life sentence. Steve wasn't particular on that.


	4. Complicated

**Thanks to all for the great reviews. **

**I have a question: if I ended up pairing Steve and Kono would anyone not like it? If anyone doesn't want to read that, I won't do it, because the story will work fine without it. It would work really well with what I'm doing, but I'm happy either way.**

**Chapter Four "Complicated"**

"_**Nothing is true but that which is simple."~Johann Wolfgang van Goethe**_

_~Twenty-seven days ago~_

_Steve got out of Danny;s car without a word. He was home, but hardly knew what that meant._

"_Hey," Danny said. "I'll call you when I land, okay?"_

"_Yeah, go," Steve replied. _Don't come back_, he thought. _You're better off far away from us_._

"_We're gonna figure this out, Steve."_

_Steve only nodded and headed toward the house. He wasn't surprised when he didn't hear Danny's car pull out until he was inside._

_The house was somewhat messy since HPD had given it a thorough search. They had confiscated all his father's evidence. They had taken everything._

_Steve was about ready to go upstairs and try to ignore his problems sleeping in his own bed. That was not to be. He heard a car in the driveway, and when he looked out the front window, he saw it's occupant heading for the beach. She knew he would follow her._

_It was almost dark, but that hardly mattered. Steve could find his way to the sand blindfolded and dizzy. She stood there, staring out at the waves, stiff and hardly breathing._

"_Catherine," Steve said. He came to stand beside her and saw a blank look on her face._

"_Steve," she said, tonelessly. "I heard."_

"_Yeah?" There was a thick pause. "Cath, you know I didn't do it."_

"_That's not why I'm here." Finally, she looked at him, and even in the dark, Steve could see a pained expression cross her face. "I have a shot at promotion soon."_

_Steve was genuinely happy for her, though it seemed an odd time to bring it up. "That's great," he said._

"_No. What that means is I don't want anything to go wrong. Being connected to you could... really hurt my career."_

"_Are you serious? You..."_

"_It's not like I want to do this. I mean, before you got mixed up in—"_

"_Whoa, mixed up? I was framed. I didn't _do_ anything."_

"_Before all this happened, I never thought I'd have a reason."_

_Steve shook his head. "It wasn't just the convenience. We were friends."_

_Catherine nodded. "That's why it has to end."_

_Steve turned to face the water. It was dark enough that he couldn't make out the horizon now. "So tell me," he said quietly. "Did you ever care about me? Was it all just for fun?"_

"_It's not a matter of whether or not I cared. But I have to keep my reputation clean. Being friends with you..."_

"_Isn't worth it," Steve finished. He nodded once and turned back to the house. No goodbye. No "I understand." It was over._

**H-5-O**

When Danny woke up in the morning, he tried not to groan at the thought of how difficult his life had become. It was about time that Grace and Rachel would be having lunch. They were living at Danny's parent's house, so Mrs. Williams answered the phone.

"When are you coming home?" were the first words out of her mouth.

Danny winced. "I don't know, Mom. Can I talk to Rachel, please?"

"Well, I suppose. I'm sorry, Danny. It's just so hard for them without you."

"I know. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"All right. I'll get Rachel."

The few seconds of silence were not long enough for Danny to decide what exactly he was going to say to her. She surprised him, though.

"How is everyone?" she asked.

"Uh, they're okay. Not great, but... okay."

"I can't imagine how impossible this must be."

"No. It's... I don't know, but it needs to go away."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I've been accepted back at HPD with open arms, under the condition I partner with the guy who arrested my last partner."

"Is that good? Isn't he in charge of the investigation?"

"Yeah. That part is good. I just hope I can be... objective."

Rachel gave a small laugh. "Oh, you never were good at that."

"Thanks. I'll let you know how things go."

"I appreciate it. We're going to look at houses this afternoon. I'll call you if we find anything."

"Yeah, okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

The conversation should have improved Danny's mood, but somehow it only made it worse. Perhaps the idea of buying a house in Jersey meant he was that much more removed from his short life in Hawaii. He still hated the islands, but he loved his team. He hated the thought of leaving them to fend for themselves.

**H-5-O**

Steve hardly noticed the door open and close and someone walk up behind him. He was leaning his forearms on the deck rail, once again staring out at the sea.

A mug of coffee appeared at his elbow.

"You okay?" Danny asked.

"I'm fine," Steve lied.

"Well, that's interesting. I mean, you've been out here all morning. Did you even go to sleep last night?"

"I'm not tired. Did Kono stay last night?"

"Yeah. She's still sleeping. Now what are you thinking?"

"It's nothing, Danny."

"Nothing isn't."

"What?"

"A deep, philosophical concept that you would never understand. But 'nothing' is not the look on your face. I think I even detected the 'tone'."

"There you go, throwing words together and hoping they make sense."

"There you go, deflecting."

"Can you please not worry about me?"

"Sorry, babe, I can't help it. I don't think anyone expects you to be okay right now, but I think this is something else."

"It's... hard having two friends in the entire world. Better than no one, I guess."

"This won't last forever. Okay? The truth will all come out and then they'll be begging you to come back."

"That's not the point. It's done. There was a testing point and most people failed. I mean, we all couldn't believe Chin would go back to HPD because they didn't believe him when they should have. I could never trust people who did that to me. So, even if everything is cleared up, where does that leave me? The damage is done."

Danny tapped his fingers on the side of his mug. "I guess we'll just have to resurrect 5-0."

"Good luck."

"No... No, it's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. But worth it."

Danny left Steve alone then and Steve thought about what he had said. _Worth it._ No one else had thought he was worth it. Not Catherine or Chin or the entire Honolulu Police Department.

Steve had been on the verge of giving up. But he had two huge reasons not to. The first was his partner, the man he trusted with his life, and now relied on to put his life back together. The other, was the young woman sleeping on his couch.

They weren't just better than no one; they were everyone.

**H-5-O**

Chin didn't expect his partnership with Danny to be easy. On the contrary. However, he didn't expect the conversation that ensued their first morning working together.

"Do you remember when Meka was murdered?" Danny asked out of the blue.

"Yes," Chin replied cautiously.

"You remember what you told me that night in the bar? I was upset that everyone thought he was dirty, but you believed me."

"Remind me."

"You said, 'the loneliest place in the world is where no one believes you'."

Neither of them said anything after that. Chin knew what Danny was saying. He was telling him, without telling him, that Steve and Kono were in the same place he was before he was cleared. And there was an unspoken judgment there that Chin should have done something about it.

"Misery loves company," he finally said.

"What?" Danny sounded angry.

"Steve and Kono are in that place, I know. It's my job to get them out. Now, are going to help me, or continue with your self-righteous pontification?"

Danny had no answer at first. Then he posed a question: "You're doing this all for them, huh? Is not speaking to them part of that?"

"It's complicated, Danny."

"I think I can keep up."

"Let's just say keeping my distance is best for all concerned."

"Best. Best for your cousin, who stood up against the whole family for you. Does it make a difference that she actually stole the money? And Steve. He stuck his neck out for you because his dad trusted you. They at least deserve some explanation."

"The second I get Wo Fat behind bars, I'm done. This is all for them."

"I mean, a text message would cover that." Danny couldn't help the sarcasm. It just came so naturally. I'm just saying, they deserve the truth."

"Yeah," Chin agreed. "They do."


	5. Somewhere Safe to Sea

**I have not yet made the final decision on the Steve/Kono issue. I appreciate all the comments everyone gave. I think I will wait and see whether the story is best with or without. I especially appreciate those of you who encouraged me to make the choice based on what I wanted to do. I understand certain objections as well as those who are all for the pairing. I will let everyone know when I decide. Thanks again; you guys are great.**

**Chapter Five "Somewhere Safe to Sea"**

"**We thank... whatever gods may be that no life lives for ever; that dead men rise up never; that even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea."~A.C. Swinburne**

Kono was still asleep when Steve came downstairs later that morning. Danny had long since left for work and the sun was streaming through the front windows. Steve noticed that Kono had her arm over her face, so the light didn't wake her. He wondered if she had suffered as many sleepless nights as he had.

Normally, he would have woken her, thinking she had slept long enough, but he decided to leave her alone as he headed out to his beach. After everything that had happened there, he still found something in the waves that made him feel alive, whole.

Maybe it was the way he was trained to survive in the water. In any case, it was more reliable than anything he'd found on land.

Steve didn't doubt that his depression was somewhat pathetic. At least, if he were an unbiased observer, he would consider it pathetic. The unfortunate reality was that he was no observer. He was right in the thick of all the emotions that made him need to be in the water.

The burn in his lungs brought back all sorts of good memories. That would seem strange to most people, but Steve wasn't most people.

_Every great thing that's ever happened to me happened in the water. Every one._

Steve remembered that from some movie. He couldn't remember what. Still, it fit him. Water was a nebulous idea anyway. It was raining when he made Danny his partner; he met Kono on the beach.

At that moment, they were every good thing to him. They were the only good things in his life, but they were more than enough reason to... hope.

It was all he had. He couldn't do anything about his situation, but he could hope. It was strange, because until then, he had never put much stock in hope. He was relatively optimistic because he was always in control. Or thought he was.

Now, all Steve could do was cling to the hope that Danny would make things right, that Chin didn't hate him, and that Kono would somehow be all right.

**H-5-O**

"Are you insane?" Danny demanded, ignoring how many times he'd used that tone, that body language, those very words with his former partner.

"Is something wrong?" Chin asked calmly.

The two of them had been "interrogating" a lead about Wo Fat.

"Number one." Danny held up a finger. "We have nothing on him. Number two." A second finger. "Your 'persuasion' didn't work; he didn't give us anything. Number three." A third finger. "You are not going to accomplish anything by getting your ass suspended for police brutality!"

"Do you morally object?"

"What? No, I think the guy had it coming, but that's not the point."

"Danny, I've told you; I don't care what happens to me so long as I get Wo Fat."

"Fine. Admirable, I guess. Just please stick around long enough to do that, okay?"

"Okay."

"Why do I get the feeling you haven't heard a word I've been saying?"

"What do you want me to say? I'm going to do what's necessary."

"Yeah. And you're the one who said there's no 5-0. What? You have immunity now too?"

"I have certain freedoms when it comes to this investigation. The interim governor is very interested in seeing Wo Fat brought to justice. The incident with Governor Jameson was embarrassing to the entire state of Hawaii."

"Incident. Embarrassing. Huh."

"Now, I know something's wrong when you're so monosyllabic."

"That was eight syllables actually. I was being bemused at your word choice. Very diplomatic."

"I'm in hostile territory, brah."

"I actually understand that. I mean, no matter where you or I go around here, there are sharks circling."

"No pun intended."

"No, that was intended. I thought it a perfect metaphor."

"You're right. I have to be so careful what I say, you too, though I don't think you will."

"Maybe you do know me well. I'm still trying to figure you out."

Chin nodded, his eyes seeming far away. "Don't give up on me, brah," he said quietly.

**H-5-O**

When Steve finally came out of the water, he didn't know how much time had passed, but he saw Kono, standing on the beach. He remembered with something like nostalgia that she nearly always wore a swimsuit under her clothes. He thought about the time they dove after that armored truck. Kono had always been willing to do crazy things with him.

Now she stood on his beach, watching him, realizing that they had a lot in common, and that was a good thing. Neither of them had to feel alone.

"You mind?" Kono asked, stepping into the water.

"Much as I feel like I own it," Steve said, "I don't." He smiled.

Kono smiled back and dove into the waves. Steve followed her back out. He was tired, but this never got old. They swam for another hour before Kono checked the time.

"It's almost noon," she said when they were back on the beach. "I've got a couple of lessons this afternoon. You want to come along?"

"Sure." Steve nodded. "We should get something to eat first."

"I was going to say, I'll buy you lunch in exchange for your TA services."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yeah, but I have a job and you don't so... Anyway, I want to."

"You want me to be your TA?"

"Hey, if you want. And it might balance out the gender demographics of my client base."

"So I'm like a mascot?"

"If you couldn't surf, you'd be a mascot. You can, so you're a TA."

"Right. Do I have to call you 'Professor'?"

Kono laughed. "Yes. But you get to grade papers."

"What papers?"

"Haven't you ever heard of surf-theory? I make all my students take it."

"You just made that up."

"I was trying to make you feel needed."

"Okay, how about if I rescue drowning students."

"Okay. Let's go eat; I'm starving."

"You're always starving."

**H-5-O**

"...Shots fired. Suspects down." Danny spoke into the phone. Then he turned to his new partner who was sitting on the ground, against the car. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Chin replied. "Just a scratch."

"So, what exactly was your plan there?"

"You know, talk to them. Isn't that how you like to do it?"

Danny bit his lip. "Yeah. Hey, let me see that."

Chin took his hand away from his right shoulder. It was just a scratch. "Told you, brah."

"Okay," Danny said. "I thought my days of getting shot at were over."

"What made you think that?"

"I don't know what came over me." There was a short pause. "Hey, thanks, man."

"For what?"

Danny looked Chin in the eye. The lieutenant seemed unwilling to admit how close that had been. The two of them went to question some other leads, only to have them open fire. Needless to say, they wouldn't be getting anything out of those suspects.

"Hey," Danny said, getting Chin's attention again. "You saved my life back there. Thank you."

Chin shrugged and then winced. "Nothing new. Nothing you wouldn't do."

Danny thought about that and realized it was true. As messed up as things were with Chin, he would still die for him. Maybe it was a cop thing. Maybe it was just a Danny thing.

**H-5-O**

Steve didn't find playing in the water with tourists fun. That's what surf lessons with Kono felt like. Fortunately for him there were only a few lessons that afternoon. And Kono was right. The female students did seem more interested in learning when he was helping them.

When the lessons were over Steve sighed. "I don't know how you do it," he said.

"What?" Kono asked. "You don't enjoy helping people have fun?"

"Actually, no. I enjoy putting people in jail."

"You're weird, brah. I don't know if anyone's ever told you that."

"A few people."

"A few. So, you don't want the job?"

"Well, that depends on if you intend to keep feeding me. I'm all for that."

Kono smirked. "Sure. I'll call Danny and see if he wants to meet us for pizza."

"Pizza, spaghetti, pizza. I think we're in a rut."

"I blame Danny. It's his Jersey influence."

"Okay, pizza it is."

"You're really going to miss him, aren't you?"

"I already do."

Kono was surprised at Steve's admission. She had expected him to make a joke about it. "Almost makes one want to pack up and move to the mainland," she said in all seriousness.

"We can't give up," Steve said. "Not yet anyway."

Kono nodded and got out her phone to call Danny. Unfortunately, he and Chin were working late.

"Save me some pizza," he said.

"Yeah, that's not happening, brah," Kono replied.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm pouring ice water on your head."

"And risk the wrath of McGarrett by ruining his couch?"

"A'right, but I'll get you back somehow."

"I'm sure you will. See you later. Don't get shot or anything."

Danny laughed humorlessly. "Sure. See you."

Hanging up, Kono looked over at Steve. "Guess it's just you and me," she said.

"What was that about ruining my couch?"

"Danny was going to pour water on my head in the morning."

They laughed, and neither thought anything of the assumption that she would sleep there again. Danny hadn't either.

* * *

><p>AN: The movie quote was from Sahara, in case anyone was wondering.


	6. Changes

**Thanks again for the reviews. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Chapter Six "Changes"**

"**All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."~Anatole France**

Danny was surprised when his phone rang at midnight. He and Chin were still working, but anyone who would call him should be sleeping. When he saw the screen, he was even more surprised.

"Rachel? It's five there, isn't it?" he answered.

"I know, Danny," she replied. "I can't sleep. I needed to talk to you. I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't." Danny got up and went out into the hall. "What's going on?"

"It's just... we looked at houses today, you know."

"Yeah. You didn't find anything?"

"There were some that looked nice, but that's just the problem."

"I don't understand."

"It's just that doing all this without you is... I don't know what it is. But you know my divorce is almost final."

"Yeah. Look, I promise I will be home as soon as I work everything out here."

"I know. That's not what I'm talking about. Danny, when I said you had a life in Hawaii, I meant more than you realize. And, as much as I hate to say this, I think I was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Wrong to leave Hawaii. I know you never wanted to be there, but it has a hold on you. You can't be here because you have responsibilities there. I have no right to take you away from that."

"Okay, I'm not sure what you're saying. I thought you wanted us to be a family again."

"I do. But we can't be a family here. We can only be a family in Hawaii. As much as you claim to hate it, Danny, you belong there."

"So... so you want to come back?"

"Yes. I'm going to start looking for a flight."

"Rachel... I..."

"Don't argue. I always win."

Danny smiled. "You always cheat."

"It's not my fault you're in love with me."

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Well, I'm not sorry."

"Neither am I. Look, I don't know how happy I am about you and Grace coming back here, but I can see you won't change your mind."

"About that. Do you think Grace would like to spend part of the summer with her grandparents? Maybe just a few weeks. It would give us time to get settled."

"Yeah. That's a good idea. If she wants to stay, I'm sure Mom and Dad would be happy to have her."

"I'll talk to them in the morning."

"You mean later this morning?"

"Well, yes."

"All right. I love you."

"I love you too."

**H-5-O**

Steve actually felt tired that night. It had been a long time since he'd expended that much energy in one day. It felt good. He offered Kono one the other bedroom that Danny wasn't using. It still had some of his sister's stuff in it, but he didn't think she would mind.

However, Kono ended up inadvertently falling asleep on the couch again anyway. After pizza, they had stayed up late, talking about everything they could think of. Steve couldn't remember ever spending this much time alone with Kono, but he was enjoying it.

They didn't talk about their problems or even their 5-0 days. They talked about high school, siblings. Steve even talked about his parents a little bit.

It was after midnight when Steve climbed the stairs and fell into bed. He smiled softly before falling asleep.

He slept soundly for the first time in a long time and when he woke in the morning, he felt ready to face whatever life threw at him. If that happened to be inept tourists who wanted to surf, he could live with that.

Kono met him on the beach as the sun was coming up. They didn't say anything, but took their swim together as if they'd been doing it for years.

It was then that Steve decided that even if he never got back to doing what he loved, he could live with this. As long as he had a friend and his beach, he'd be okay.

**H-5-O**

"What's up, brah?" Chin asked when Danny came back into the room.

Danny wasn't quite sure he wanted to tell Chin what was going on. It would seem a little to friendly. But working after midnight seemed pretty friendly too.

"That was Rachel," he said. "She's decided we belong here."

"Hey, that's great. I mean, now you won't have to be away from them."

"Yeah. I guess."

"What? I thought you'd kind of grown to like it here."

"You know, a month ago, I might have agreed with you."

"Listen, Danny, I know this is a long shot, but I want to try to get things back to the way they were."

"The way they were? What kind of—no. It can never be like it was. Too much has changed."

"What's changed? You? I don't think so. You're still willing to follow your family wherever they go. You're still dedicated to your job. What's changed?"

Danny rubbed his forehead. "You."

There was a long silence. Chin knew how Danny felt, but he had been hoping Danny would see how he was trying to make things right.

"Not as much as you think, brah," Chin said.

"Really? You _arrested_ the man who believed in you when no one else would."

"And what do you think would have happened of I didn't? I arrested Steve so I could clear him. As long as he was on the run, he was more and more suspicious. What I did saved his reputation."

"Did it? Then why is he sitting at home every day? Why doesn't he have his old job?"

"I'm working on it. Danny, they trust me. If I can show everyone how right Steve was, it could fix everything."

Danny shook his head, almost laughing. "You can't fix this, Chin. That's what you always tried to do, isn't it? Well, Steve and Kono don't need someone to fix things... They need a friend."

**H-5-O**

Danny didn't get back to Steve's house until two in the morning. Both Steve and Kono were asleep, but there were two pieces of pizza in the refrigerator. Danny smiled to himself. Kono teased, but she really did take care of her friends. That was something Danny thought all of 5-0 had in common. Maybe they did.

He wasn't sure what to think of Chin's actions and professed motives. He didn't know what he would have done in that position.

Maybe Chin was right. He had the power and the opportunity to at least try to make things right. Danny didn't think they ever would be, but the least he could do was help.

And then there was Rachel. Danny was half glad that Grace would stay in Jersey for a while. It would be difficult to restart their lives while he was trying to fix everyone else's.

He thought of something Steve had said, back before 5-0 had even been named: "We care for each other like family."

Danny shook his head. Steve and Kono were his family, and Chin too, really. He couldn't abandon them any more than he could have stayed in Jersey when Rachel first moved to Hawaii.

The difficulty had become reconciling his two families. Thousands of miles did not make for quality time. But Rachel had solved that problem. She had seen the reality and acted accordingly. Danny wondered if it were possible to love her more than he did in that moment.

He finished off his pizza and climbed the stairs with heavy feet. Tomorrow was a new day.

When Danny woke up, Steve and Kono were coming back from the beach. They looked happy, like they had when they got to do something dangerous at work.

"You wrestle a few sharks?" Danny asked.

"No sharks, Danno," Steve said, slapping his shoulder, intentionally leaving a wet hand print.

Danny brushed at his sleeve as if he could get rid of it. "Don't call me that."

"Just as soon as you take off that tie."

"Is this how it's gonna be? Will you ever grow up?"

"I doubt it," Kono said before Steve could answer.

"Hey, I'm very grown up," Steve argued. "I'm a... what do you call it?" He looked at Kono.

"TA. You're a TA. That's like a pretentious grad student."

"Did I miss something?" Danny asked.

"You miss a lot of things, brah," Steve said.

"Oh, I have news." Danny changed the subject.

Steve and Kono perked up.

"Well, it's not about the investigation. Rachel's coming back to Hawaii."

"Permanently?" Steve asked.

"Yeah."

"Just her?" Kono looked confused.

"Grace will stay with her grandparents for a while and then join us."

"So you're staying. For good?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. For good."

Steve grinned. "I knew you loved it here."

Danny laughed. _No, I love you guys_, he thought.

And then he wondered if maybe Chin were right; maybe things didn't have to change as much as he thought.


	7. Watching Your Back

**Chapter Seven "Watching Your Back"**

"_**It all comes down to serving the ones who are fighting alongside you, watching your back, putting a weapon in your hand when you need it the most."~James Luceno**_

Things started to feel routine. Danny quickly became used to taking orders from Chin, covering him, doing everything he used to do for Steve. Sometimes it felt a little wrong. Chin wasn't his partner, not really. Somehow, Steve always would be.

But things were better than he would have hoped. There were fewer and fewer verbal daggers, fewer glares, and Danny even started to feel less animosity toward Chin.

And that felt like betrayal. Steve and Kono couldn't even talk to Chin and Danny was being friends with him again.

Still, if it came down to a choice, Steve would win. If Danny's loyalty were tested, it would go to the man who had learned to trust him. Danny wasn't sure Chin really trusted anyone. It stung a little to know that.

He hoped to prove Chin wrong. He didn't know if that were possible. The Lieutenant was, if possible, more set in his ways than Steve. Because in spite of his resistance at first, Steve had adapted to Danny. That was a two-way street, but there had been compromise. There was none with Chin. His way was right no matter what anyone else thought.

Danny was getting ready to pull his hair out. He thought his life was complicated before he left New Jersey the first time. This was a new level of insanity.

But he ended up doing whatever he felt necessary, and at this point, that was going to work with Chin, focusing all his energy on finding Wo Fat. He hadn't even considered the fact the he and Rachel had nowhere to stay except Steve's house. If he had, he might have felt awkward. But he didn't.

**H-5-O**

Steve quickly became used to giving surfing lessons. It wasn't something he ever thought he would do, unless he had kids which was looking more and more unlikely. But it was easy for him. Anything in the water felt completely natural. Well, except all the tourists. They were a necessary evil.

Steve also found himself learning. Just when he thought he was set in his ways, someone new came along, like Danny or now Kono, to change his thinking. Steve knew how to surf and he knew how to tell someone else how to surf, but Kono knew how to _teach_. It wasn't the same sort of giving and following orders that Steve was used to, but he didn't hate it.

They had just finished another lesson and Kono was talking with a couple of students and Steve was coming out of the water when a young native man walked up and pulled out a gun.

"Give me your bags," he demanded of the two women Kono was talking to.

They hurried to hand them over, but never got the chance because Kono saw an opening and kicked the man in the jaw. He dropped the gun to the sand and Kono kicked it away. She gave him another blow to the face, sending him to the ground, and then immobilized him by putting her knee in his back.

Kono didn't see the other man, but Steve did. The second assailant also had a gun, but he didn't even get it out of his belt before Steve had run up the beach and tackled him to the ground.

By this time, someone had already called the police and a crowd was gathering.

"I thought we didn't do this anymore," Steve said, hauling his man to his feet by his shirt collar and relieving him of his gun.

Kono looked up at him and laughed. "Superheroes, remember? Crime never stops."

"At least nobody died. That's an improvement."

"I don't think Danny will be impressed."

"What?" Steve looked at the guy he was still holding. "I doubt he even has bruises."

Kono looked down at the man under her knee. "I'm afraid mine will."

The police arrived quickly and arrested the two thugs. They started questioning witnesses and Steve and Kono were asked to go in to HPD and give statements.

They exchanged a nervous look. For one thing, they were in their swimsuits, still wet and sandy. For another, HPD was the last place either of them wanted to be that afternoon.

As if to make matters worse, when they showed up, Chin and Danny were just leaving and saw them.

"You guys okay?" Danny asked, coming up to them. Chin hung back a little, but they still knew he was there.

Kono turned slightly so that her cousin was no longer in her line of sight. "Oh, you know," she said. "Just doing our job to protect our students from a couple punks."

Danny could see the smile hiding in Steve's eyes. "Did you have something to say?" Danny asked.

Steve shook his head. The smile was working it's way down his face.

Danny crossed his arms and gave Steve the tell-me-what-you're-thinking look.

Steve shrugged. "A couple of punks with semi-automatic weapons. Nothing."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I can't leave you two alone for five minutes."

Steve held up his hand. "Wait a minute. You've been here three days and nothing's happened until now."

"I maintain that you were wrestling sharks this morning."

"Right after I ate grenades for breakfast."

"I'm just saying, you go outside and crime follows you."

"You sure? Maybe it follows Kono."

"I did take out the first guy," Kono agreed.

"I don't want to know. You're giving me a headache."

"I think that's the elusive crime lord, brah," Chin interjected.

Silence fell over the group.

"I think we can go now," Steve finally said. He was going to say something to Danny about dinner, but decided it would be better if people didn't know Danny was staying with him. So, he nudged Kono's arm and turned toward the door.

Neither of them looked back.

**H-5-O**

Chin watched his cousin and his former boss leave, wondering if the awkwardness was his fault, if there was something he could have done about it.

"Tell me they're all right," he said quietly.

"What?" Danny asked, looking back at Chin.

"Are they really that happy?"

"They're... okay. Better the more time they spend together, which scares me a little. But you see my point?"

"Which one?" Chin wasn't looking at Danny, but staring at the empty doorway.

"The one about how you've alienated people."

"I never doubted that."

Danny took a deep breath. "You still think it was a good idea?"

"It was all I could do. If it looks like I'm not hanging around them, I get a lot more done."

"End/means kind of stuff. Never really believed in all that."

"What about that little favor you did me? When I had a bomb strapped around my neck?"

"That's not the same. I would never push away people I love. Money is only money."

Chin nodded. He didn't say anything though, and Danny was pretty sure he still didn't get it.

"Hey," Danny commanded Chin's attention as he had done so many times with Steve. "There is only one man in this world who is always right and it sure as hell isn't you."

"I know."

"No, you don't. You think you're doing what you have to or whatever, but did you just notice that your cousin—who loves you, by the way—couldn't even look at you? What are you trying to prove."

"Nothing... Danny, you know I'm not doing this for myself."

"But you think this is the best way? You think you know better than everyone else? Yeah, maybe you're older, more experienced, whatever. But you're not right. In the last thirty-three days, you've been the worst idiot, and I say that affectionately."

Chin allowed himself a sad smile. "It's not so easy."

"It could be easier than you think."

**H-5-O**

Kono helped Steve make dinner. They were mostly quiet for a long time, neither willing to acknowledge what had happened at HPD. But something was stirring. They had gone back to a place, seen someone they hoped they wouldn't have to for a long time. As much as they believed they were moving on, it had been more than difficult to be there.

Steve had managed to fake it with Danny's help, but anyone could tell he was using humor to avoid something else.

Kono hadn't been able to do so well. She couldn't even look at her cousin, the one who had been more of a brother and best friend to her.

Surprisingly, it was Steve who spoke first. "You okay?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kono looked up from slicing vegetables, her hair in her eyes.

"You seemed tense earlier."

"Yeah, I'd just disarmed a guy. Stressful stuff for us civilians, you know."

"Kono." Steve's voice was low, persuasive.

Kono couldn't recall Steve ever sounding like that before. "It was... not fun," she said. "Taking out the punks was fun, I meant..."

"I know what you meant. I thought it was fun too."

Kono smiled weakly. "You think Danny would be disappointed if we became vigilantes?"

"I think he would arrest us."

"Probably."

Kono noticed how Steve had addressed the problem and then refocused on the better part of the day.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

Steve shook his head. "It was hard for me too," he said, not looking at her.

"Didn't seem like it."

"I'm trained for that. It's kind of irritating... to other people."

"Well, I'm glad you told me. It's nice to know you're human."

"Don't tell anyone."

"Your secret identity is safe with me."

They both laughed and when Danny came home and asked what was so funny, they wouldn't tell him. Yes, he was becoming very concerned about those two.


	8. Fear of Losing

**Thanks for all the reviews. I think I've decided what to do. For those of you that don't like Steve/Kono, I perfectly understand. It won't happen for another couple of chapters, so maybe stick around and see if it might work after all. I'm really grateful for all the comments I've recieved and I appreciate the time spent on them.**

**I just picked a random name for the new governor. He needed one.**

**Chapter Eight "Fear of Losing"**

"_**Every man is afraid of something. That's how you know he's in love with you; when he is afraid of losing you."~Unknown**_

Danny tried not to be paranoid. But when the baggage claim was empty and Rachel's suitcase was there, but Rachel wasn't, he started to worry.

First, he called JFK. Rachel had boarded her flight. Her next stop was O'Hare. Yes, she had made her connection there. LAX, too.

By this time, Danny had tried Rachel's phone about fifty times. It always went straight to voicemail. So, he started asking anyone he could think of. No one knew anything.

His first thought was to call Steve, but what could that possibly accomplish? So, he called Chin instead.

"What's up, brah?" came the answer. "Rachel get in all right?"

"I don't know," Danny replied.

"What do you mean?"

"She's not here. Her bag is, but she isn't. I called JFK, O'Hare, and LAX. They all said she made her flights. But they don't know anything here, and I can't reach her."

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Yeah," I'm gonna go talk to security. See if I can get a look at security cameras or something. Call me when you get here."

"I'm on my way."

Danny heard the sound of Chin's motorcycle starting before the call disconnected. He grabbed Rachel's sizable suitcase and started looking for someone who could help him. It took some time, but he was eventually escorted to the surveillance room and given access to the cameras he needed. By this time, Chin had arrived.

They went through the footage together, finally spotting Rachel at her gate. They followed her movements from there to when she exited security. Danny's heart fell to his stomach when he saw two black-clad men come up behind her and drag her out of view.

"I wasn't a hundred feet away," he said quietly.

"Let's get these tapes back to the station," Chin said. "We have better equipment; we might be able to figure out who they are."

"Yeah." Danny's voice came out breathy and hollow. "I need to... call someone."

Chin looked back at him as he headed for the door. "Who?" he asked.

Danny waved him off. "Better you don't know, right?"

"Danny, they can't help."

"I know. But they're my family. They need to know."

Chin nodded and headed out. He would meet Danny back at HPD and thought it was better to give him privacy.

**H-5-O**

Steve hung up with a familiar look on his face. Kono watched him process the information he'd received. He was back in commander mode.

"Danny'd call that aneurism face," she said.

Steve didn't react. "Rachel's missing," he said almost distantly.

"From the airport?"

Steve nodded. "They have two guys on a security camera taking her."

"What can we do?"

Steve shook his head. "Nothing." He almost laughed. "Not a damn thing."

Kono bit her lip and tapped her fingernails against her chin. She looked surprised when Steve started toward the door. "Where are you going then?" she demanded.

"_We_ are going to work," he snapped.

"So, Rachel's been kidnapped and we're just going about our business?"

"What else can we do?" Steve spread his hands. "We can't be with Danny. I won't sit around doing nothing. I'm open to suggestions here."

"I don't know. It just... seems wrong."

Steve nodded. "I know." He let out a deep breath and dipped his head. "I know."

Kono followed him, knowing he was right. There wasn't a thing they could do, and the immense level of wrongness didn't change that.

They gave their lessons, made sure no tourists drowned or got attacked by sharks. But it was different. Throughout the morning, Steve and Kono exchanged looks. Looks that said they both knew where they both would rather have been.

Steve played through every similar event in his head. When his sister was kidnapped, Danny had been there. There were so many other times. But now that Danny needed him, Steve couldn't be anywhere near him.

It was the same for Kono. When Ian was murdered, Danny had talked to her. He'd taught her all kinds of things. If they had still been 5-0, she would have been right there next to him. She didn't really understand it herself, but Kono was a calming presence.

She thought about what that meant now. She couldn't be with Danny. Steve couldn't either. They both struggled with that. So, maybe she could do something for Steve. Danny was his best friend, his partner, practically his brother. She couldn't imagine how it must feel for him to be kept away at a time like this. But she knew how it felt for her.

With Steve, it must have been ten times worse.

So, after their morning sessions, she met back with him on the beach. This was when they usually had a snack and some water before their next appointments.

Steve was sitting there on his towel, looking out at the ocean. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. Kono sat next to him closer than she would have dared before. Then she put her arm around his shoulders.

She expected him to shrug her off, but Steve actually slid his arm around Kono's waist. They sat like that for several minutes, before Kono worked up the courage to say something.

"This isn't where we're supposed to be," she said.

Steve let out a long breath. "I know," he said. "We lost it. Lost everything we were supposed to be."

"What can we do about it?"

Steve's jaw squared. "We move on," he said. He drew his arm back and rested his elbows on his knees.

Kono's arm fell behind him, but their shoulders still touched. "I don't think I can," she said softly.

Steve only nodded, still gazing out at the water, detaching.

Kono saw it happening, but didn't know what to do about it. He was closing himself off again, and she couldn't stop him.

**H-5-O**

Chin watched Danny run his hands through his hair. They hadn't been able to ID the kidnappers and nothing else had come up yet. No calls had come in, no ransom demands. Chin watched as Danny became more and more anxious and he couldn't help but think it was a little bit his fault.

"Wait here," he said.

"What?" Danny asked.

"I have to make a call; I'll be right back."

Danny didn't ask any more questions, which was good, because Chin didn't feel like explaining himself just yet. He dialed a little used number and put his phone up to his ear.

"Governor Kalani," came the greeting.

"Sir, this is Chin-Ho Kelly. I've made my decision."

"Good to hear. What have you decided."

"I'll take the position, conditionally."

"You want full authority to choose your team? I understand and trust your judgment, Lieutenant. You've heard my take on everything."

"Yes sir. Can I take the position immediately?"

"Certainly. I'll have your offices opened up right away."

"Thank you sir. I hope one day soon, you'll see what I mean."

"I hope so too, Lieutenant."

Chin hung up and headed back to Danny.

"Come with me," he said.

"Where?" Danny asked.

"The beach."

**H-5-O**

Morning lessons over, Steve and Kono would usually go for lunch, but neither was feeling particularly hungry after everything. They stood on the beach, looking anywhere but at each other. Finally, Steve let out a sigh.

"What are we gonna do?" he asked.

"I thought you said there was nothing we could do," Kono said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"That's never stopped me before."

"All right. We need to figure out the best possible way to proceed."

"This isn't working." Steve looked pointedly around them.

Kono knew it was true, more for him than her, but she felt it too. It wasn't enough.

Steve turned so he could look her in the eye. "It's like trying to make someone love you," he said.

"What?" Kono wasn't sure where that came from.

"When you want something so bad, but it's completely out of reach. Like trying to make someone love you."

"I take it you have experience in that area?"

Steve nodded stiffly and stared back out at the water. "A little."

Kono began to understand. "Look," she said. "I never asked, 'cause it was none of my business, but what happened with Catherine?"

"She left."

For a second, Kono thought that was all Steve would say, but he continued.

"Said I was bad for her career. Something about reputations and so forth."

"You loved her?"

"I never told her. Now, I'm kinda glad I didn't. She never would have..."

"Loved you." Kono nodded, trying to see what it was about the water that held Steve's gaze.

Steve crossed his arms and stood up straighter. "She wasn't worth it. I guess I'm just sorry I wasted so much time with her."

"You don't do anything halfway, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Steve turned to look at Kono.

"You give everything to the people you love. And then they betray you. Steve... I hope you know I will never do that."

Steve nodded, tilting his head to better look Kono in the eye. "I do know. You're the one person I can really trust. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kono put her hands on his shoulders. "Me too."

Then they heard a throat clearing and turned to see Danny and Chin standing a few yards away. Kono dropped her hands and tried very hard not to look at her cousin. The two of them came closer and Danny was the first to say anything.

"Our friend, the Lieutenant here has something to say, and I would really like it if you'd both listen."

Steve and Kono could hear the gravity in Danny's voice. And if it meant they could help Danny, they'd do anything.


	9. Let Us Forgive

**Thanks for all the reviews; you guys rock! Have I said that? Well, you do.**

**Chapter Nine "Let Us Forgive"**

"_**Let us forgive each other—only then will we live in peace."~Leo Tolstoy**_

There was a heavy pause before Chin started speaking. No one made eye contact. Finally, Chin broke the silence.

"Since taking office, Governor Kalani has been after me to head up a new task force," he said. "I gave him my answer today on the condition that I was given the discretion to choose my own team."

Waves crashed onto the shore, but no one spoke.

"I don't want this," Chin continued. "I've told the governor who would be a better man for the job." He looked pointedly at Steve. "But until that becomes a possibility, I've taken the job." He looked between Steve and Kono. "Now, I'm sure you'll say no, but I'm not asking you to do this for me or even yourselves. But we need to find Rachel." He looked at Danny. "The best way to do that is... a truce."

"This isn't a war," Steve said, surprising Chin. "We'll..." He looked at Kono. "Let you know," he finished.

Chin nodded, thinking it was not the best time to question why his cousin allowed someone else to speak for her. "You decide you want the job, come straight to HQ," he said.

Steve nodded once and Chin started back toward the car. Danny stood there a minute longer, exchanging looks with his friends only they could understand.

The message was clear. Danny was telling them not to take the job just for him, and Steve and Kono were saying that was the only reason they would.

Danny walked back to the car, not caring that his shoes were full of sand. Chin was sitting in the passenger seat, obviously understanding Danny's need to drive. Chin was the kind of sensitive Steve wasn't and vice versa.

"They'll do it," Danny said.

"How do you know?" Chin asked.

"Because I know them. I know they spent the morning agonizing about how there was nothing they could do. But you could have made it a little easier for them."

"How's that, brah?"

"Oh, I don't know. You might have said, 'I'm sorry.' There are things you just apologize for. Getting people shot, ignoring them for a month. Things like that."

"They had to know I didn't want to."

"Yeah. And I know Steve never _wanted_ to get me shot; I still expected an apology."

Chin didn't say anything and Danny knew why. He knew Danny was right, but saying he was sorry was not something Chin-Ho Kelly did.

**H-5-O**

"We need shave ice," Kono said as she and Steve packed up their stuff.

"That qualify as lunch to you surfers?" Steve asked.

"Comfort food," Kono said.

"All right." Steve didn't say anything else. They stowed their gear in his truck and drove over to Waiola Shave Ice. It was busy, but as they walked up, but Kamekona came out to meet them.

"What brings you to my fine establishment today?" he asked, spreading his arms as if to hug Steve and Kono.

When the two of them only looked at him for a second, Kamekona could tell there was something wrong. He nodded.

"Take a seat," he said. "I'll fix you right up."

He disappeared back inside and Steve and Kono found a table. They sat in silence for a minute until Kamekona came back with three cones. He set the tray on the table and sat with them.

"I heard a rumor," he said. "There's gonna be a new 5-0?"

Steve nodded, twisting his straw around in the ice.

Kamekona shook his head. "Man, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry yet," Steve said. "Chin's asked us to come back."

"Back with 5-0? But you wouldn't be leading it anymore?"

"No. He would."

"Mmm." Kamekona nodded. "I see. You gonna go back?"

"There is one outstanding persuasion."

"Oh?"

"Rachel was kidnapped this morning."

Kamekona's eye's widened and he shook his head. "Then you know what you have to do."

"Yeah." Steve nodded, now twisting the straw in his fingers.

Kono still hadn't said anything. She ate her grape shave ice in silence, not looking at the other two. But she was listening, processing, wondering how in hell she was going to do this.

Steve looked over at Kono, but she wouldn't make eye contact. He stuck his straw straight up in the ice, but it listed to the side when he let go because the ice was melting. Kono had already finished hers, so Steve pushed his cone across the table.

Kono felt it hit her fingers and finally looked across the table. She wrapped her hand around the base of the cone and brushed Steve's fingers.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "We know what we have to do."

**H-5-O**

Danny was relatively happy. He was glad to be back in his old office, and fairly certain that Steve and Kono would be walking through the door any time. He knew it couldn't be easy for them. Somewhere inside, he still felt angry at Chin. It didn't have to be this hard.

Danny sighed and stared at his empty desk. He was back in the same place as before, but nothing was the same. Chin had talked about getting things back to the way they were before. But things could never be the same. Not if Chin would never admit he had been wrong.

At the moment, that was the least of Danny's worries. He had been about to get the love of his life back against all odds, and then she'd been kidnapped. The irony made him want to bang his head on the desk until he couldn't feel it anymore.

Worse still, he hadn't called Grace. Danny didn't know how to tell his daughter that her mother was missing. It was yet another in a long line of conversations he never expected to have.

The last person he expected to see in his office interrupted his thoughts.

"Stan?" Danny said, confused.

"An officer just came to my house and told me Rachel was kidnapped," Stan said, sounding irritated.

Danny sighed. "Yes. She was taken from the airport this morning."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why? Well, naturally, I didn't want to talk to you. You can imagine I'm pretty stressed right now." Danny's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I know she's not... technically my wife anymore, but you should have told me."

"Why? So, one more person could be worried? I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what you want."

"Does Grace know?"

"I was about to call her."

"Where is she?"

"New Jersey. What's with the interrogation."

"I'm just glad she's not here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I don't know. A moth ago, your team was framed for all sorts of things, the governor murdered and now Rachel's been kidnapped. Grace is better off as far from here as she can be."

Danny rubbed his forehead. It hurt from all the strenuous thinking he'd been doing. "You think there's a connection?"

"Have there been any demands? Didn't think so."

"Where'd you get to be so smart?"

"I'm going to pretend that wasn't a vicious jab at my intelligence. Why else, Danny?"

"I don't know... I don't know anything."

**H-5-O**

When Steve and Kono came through the doors of 5-0 looking like kids in a new school, Chin called everyone's attention.

"If this is going to work," he said, "some things are going to have to happen. First, if anyone has any reservations, they need to come out now. And second... I need to say I'm sorry."

There was a long silence. Chin stared down at the table. Everyone could tell how difficult it was for him to admit that. Still, there was some hesitation. What was he sorry for?

"I made on key mistake," Chin continued. Finally he looked up and met Steve's eyes. "For a split second, I believed you did it. And that started everything. But there should never have been any doubt. You never had any about me."

Steve felt like something heavy and stuck had fallen off him. Like Chin must have felt when everyone trusted him again.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Completely?"

Chin nodded. "And Danny, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm sure you've heard that a lot."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Danny said.

Chin looked at his cousin. She was looking anywhere but his face and gently tapping her fingernails on the underside of the table.

"Kono." It was the first time he had addressed her in thirty-four days.

She didn't say anything, but waited for him to keep talking. She couldn't look him in the eye. Couldn't let him see the tears welling up in her eyes. She'd promised herself never to let him see her cry again.

"I need to say I'm sorry, Cos'," he said. "What I did to you was the same as the family did to me. Only I knew the truth. I knew you didn't deserve it. I had my reasons, but they don't matter. I was wrong to do that to you."

Kono folded her arms as if she were cold. She bit the inside of her lip and looked at the ceiling. "I need air," she finally said, and hurried out of the room before anyone could stop her.

**H-5-O**

"Should I talk to her?" Chin asked Steve.

Steve stared after Kono for a second. "Let me," he said. Then he followed her down the stairs.

Chin shook his head. "A month ago..."

"A lifetime ago," Danny said. "I told you, things have changed."

"They're close?"

"Yeah. She's been sleeping on his couch."

"Really?"

"You know how sometimes you just want to be around people? Certain people."

"Sort of. I'm not quite as social as that."

"You mean you're anti-social. Admit it. I mean, you're on a roll; I'm really happy with your progress."

"Thanks." Chin rolled his eyes ironically. Then he became serious again. "You think she'll ever forgive me?"

Danny shrugged. "She can't be expected to forget everything in ten seconds. Just keep trying. Keep telling her you were wrong. Trust me; it works."

"In the meantime, let's get back to work."

"Yeah, about that. You know how Stan was in here earlier?"

"Mmhmm."

"He suggested it might have something to do with everything that happened with 5-0."

"It's something I'd considered. I mean, we have little else to go on. It certainly wasn't random."

"Yeah. So what can we do to find her?"

"We keep after Wo Fat."

Danny nodded. "And hope it doesn't get her killed."

**H-5-O**

Kono paced the steps of the Palace. It was hot outside, but the sweat pouring off her wasn't due to the temperature. She didn't hear Steve approach and didn't see him until he was right next to her.

She looked him in the eye. Somehow Steve seeing her like this was better than Chin. A month ago, that wouldn't have been the case.

"Hey," was all he said. He put his arm around her shoulders.

Kono found her face pressed against Steve's shoulder and feeling better than she ever thought she would.

"He means it you know," Steve said.

Kono nodded, not wanting to try talking over the lump in her throat.

"We can move on," Steve continued. "I know it'll be hard, but it can work if we try."

"Steve, I'm going to tell you something," Kono said, sniffing slightly. "The reason I haven't tried to confront him in the last month is I was determined not to let him see me cry."

"But you don't mind me seeing?" Steve sounded confused.

"It was stupid. I get emotional about my family. It's not a weakness; I just felt like it was."

"I know what you mean. I know exactly what you mean."

"I guess I should go back in."

"Yeah. You okay?"

"I'm... not as bad as before."

"Will you be okay?"

"Eventually. I think."

"Let me know."

"I will. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Steve, I mean it. I'm not sure where I'd be right now without you."

"You've more than returned the favor by now."

They turned back toward the building, Steve's arm still around Kono's shoulders. Somehow, they would make this work. Most of all, they would forgive, because they couldn't do anything else.


	10. Holding Together

**Thanks to all for the reviews. I haven't been working on this one as much because I've been finishing "Dying to Live," but I don't think two days is that long of a wait... I've been spoiling you guys.**

**Chapter Ten "Holding Together"**

"_**Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength."~Unknown**_

Kono knew there was something she had to do. Letting Steve see her soft side over the past few days had been difficult, but ultimately healthy. But Chin hadn't seen her at all over the last month. He had no idea what she'd gone through and she really didn't want him to. But he had to. He had to know what he was apologizing for.

When Kono and Steve got back upstairs, Danny was in his office on the phone and Chin was still at the table, working on refining the security video.

"You need some help with that?" Kono asked.

Chin turned around, surprised by her voice. "Yeah," he finally said. He did notice that Steve conveniently disappeared into his office.

"Is this all you have?" Kono asked, looking at the video clip.

"Yeah, and we're not getting anything off it."

"Well, it doesn't look like we'll be able to get a good look at their faces, but we might find some other identifying features."

"Such as?"

"Well, we can determine their height, weight, et cetera. Maybe even figure out what kind of work they do by their movements. You know, whether their ex-military, contract kidnappers. Stuff like that."

"You were always better at this part."

"I know."

"Kono, I would understand if you never forgive me."

"I wouldn't." Kono didn't look at her cousin. She was busy enhancing the video.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, a lot of people are that way, but I'm not one of them. Now, I don't understand what you did, but I can see you're trying to make it right. That's enough for me to work with for now."

"For now?"

"Until I figure all this out. You gotta give me time."

"Honestly, this is more than I dared hope for."

"These guys are incredibly fit."

"What?"

"On the video. Looks like their both over six feet. You can see some skin there." She pointed at the screen. "So their white. I'll keep working on this and see what I get."

"Good work, Cos'. You gonna be okay working with McGarrett?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"It'll be different."

"I think we'll be fine. Of course, he might not like doing all this kind of stuff, but he won't say anything."

"I'm sure you'll get your share of action."

"It's 5-0. When didn't we?"

Chin laughed softly. "You're right there."

**H-5-O**

Danny stared at his phone for a long time before dialing his parents' number. He didn't know how he was going to tell them, how he was going to tell Grace. His father answered the phone.

"Hey, Dad," Danny said.

"Hey. We were wondering when we'd hear from you. Rachel get in all right?"

Danny cleared his throat. "Uh, no. She, uh, she was taken from the airport."

"Taken? By whom?"

"Well, if I knew that, I'd be paying them a visit right now. We're trying to track her down right now."

"Danny... I'm so sorry."

"I know, Dad, I just... how do I tell Grace?"

"You just tell her the truth, Danny. I'll tell your mom."

The phone was handed off to Grace. Danny's mouth suddenly felt dry and his alms began to sweat.

"Hi, Danno," came the voice of his beautiful eight-year-old.

"Hey, Monkey," Danny replied. "Listen, there's something I have to tell you."

"What?"

"It's... it's about your mom." Danny cleared his throat again. "She's missing, baby."

Grace didn't say anything. Danny completely understood.

"Hey, Monkey, listen, I'm gonna find her and she'll be okay. Got it?"

"Yeah" Grace said in a small voice. "Danno, I want to be with you."

"Oh, I know, Gracie, but you're safer with Grandma and Grandpa, okay? They'll take good care of you. As soon as I find mom, I'll come get you. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Hey, you keep an eye on your aunts for me, okay?"

"Okay, Danno. I love you."

"I love you too."

Danny sighed as he hung up the phone. He would have been much happier not telling Grace, but he knew that wasn't right.

Danny didn't notice when his door opened and a large form took up residence there. He looked up, startled when Steve coughed.

"You okay?" Steve asked.

"Not really," Danny replied. "How's Kono?"

"She's... There's no end to her resilience."

"Yeah? That's good."

"You were talking to Grace?"

"Yeah. And I don't want to talk to you about it, so can we get to work now?"

"I'm not the boss here. But I think they've worked things out." Steve turned back toward the main room to see Chin and Kono still working on the video.

Danny got up and they both went over to see how things were coming.

**H-5-O**

Steve didn't know what partnering with Kono would be like. If it was anything like the last few days, he'd be quite happy with it. In fact, he was wondering why it had taken them so long to become the good friends they now were. He supposed it was a matter of being preoccupied with their separate tasks. They hadn't had much chance to work together until now.

Of course, Steve wished things could be like they were, but he wasn't at all dissatisfied with the situation. It was strange that he found himself okay with the way things were.

Soon, Danny and Chin left to follow up on the Wo Fat connection. Steve hated the idea that Rachel's kidnapping might be his fault. But was that better than it being something random?

He did what he could to help Kono, but she knew more about this kind of thing. She still asked his opinion frequently.

"You think these guys could be military?" she asked.

Steve watched their movements again. "I doubt it," he said. "Look there. They're not smooth. It seemed almost awkward. Like if there hadn't been two of them, they might not have succeeded."

"That narrows it down."

"Does it? I mean, what if it is Wo Fat? They could be from anywhere."

"Let's think positive here."

"You sound like Danny."

"You need it."

"Apparently."

**H-5-O**

Danny stared out the passenger window of his car. He had been abnormally silent. His conversation with Grace was sucking the life out of him.

"You all right, brah?" Chin asked.

Danny rubbed his face absently. "This is normally the part where Steve would sat not to worry, that we'll find her, et cetera."

Chin looked over at Danny briefly. "I'm not Steve," he said. "He's an optimist. I'm not. I don't know what's going to happen. I know we're going to do everything to find her. And that's always been good enough."

Danny didn't say anything. He couldn't understand Chin. He'd always had a problem with that. Without thinking, he slammed his fist into the window, tearing the skin on his knuckles.

"Danny," Chin said.

"No," Danny said. "You listen to me. You are not my partner. You never will be."

"Danny, I want more than anything for things to go back to the way they were. I want you and Steve to be partners again. I never asked for this responsibility, but I took it because I had to."

"You know, I don't think Steve and Kono mind so much."

"What do you mean."

"Haven't you noticed how close they've gotten? How he went to talk to her instead of you or me?"

"Yeah, I noticed. It's out of necessity, I assume."

"Or opportunity."

"What?"

"I think it's sad they were never like that before. They're so in sync."

"Are you trying to say something, brah?"

"I'm saying it. They're good together. It's good for them, probably good for us. I'm not implying anything other than that."

"Sounded like it."

"Maybe that's your overprotective cousin instinct."

"Yeah, maybe."


	11. Course of Action

**Thanks for all the reviews. You really make me smile. Like Steve. Seriously, it's like you're sending me Steve smiles.**

**Chapter Eleven "Course of Action"**

"_**Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage."~Ralph Waldo Emerson**_

If Danny were honest with himself, he would admit that he thought there might be something to what Chin had asked. Maybe Steve and Kono were headed somewhere with their friendship. That only made Danny feel worse.

He shook his head as he and Chin headed back to HQ. Those thoughts weren't helpful, not to mention ridiculous. Even if something were going on between them, Danny should be happy. So, why did he feel so terrible about the idea?

He thought back on his last conversation with Steve. He had said he didn't want to talk to him about Grace. So, who would he talk to? Steve was it.

But Steve was so much happier with Kono.

Danny was over thinking. Steve would want to help him by listening. Danny remembered a time when he and Steve were all the other had. They were best friends, great partners, practically brothers. What happened?

Danny was convinced that he needed to stop thinking. He had to find Rachel. That was all that was important.

When they got back upstairs, Steve and Kono were running through all the things they'd picked out from the surveillance camera.

"What do you have?" Chin asked.

"Steve says they're definitely not military," Kono replied. "They're white males, each approximately six feet tall."

"This one had a knee injury," Steve said, pointing to the assailant on the left. "Probably over ten years old."

"How can you tell that?" Danny asked.

"Look at how he moves. Sometimes these injuries can be aggravated by changing air pressure and we had a storm last night."

"Yeah, I know that." Danny unconsciously shifted his weight from his left leg.

"So what good does this do?" Chin asked.

"If they're local," Steve said, "we might be able to find medical records. It's a long shot, I know, but it's something."

"If we found a suspect, it would be useful," Danny said.

Kono nodded. "We've tried to see if we can find them on any other video cameras in the area, but no luck yet. We'll keep working on it."

"Good," Chin said.

"I think we need to talk to Stan again," Danny said.

"Why's that?" Steve asked.

"If it wasn't Wo Fat, it might have had something to do with him."

"Hey, Cos', why don't we do that?" Chin asked.

Everyone was a little surprised at the suggestion, but no on argued. Danny didn't feel like talking to Stan again and Steve was trying his best not to care that he wasn't in charge any more.

**H-5-O**

Steve wasn't good at reading people. Danny had told him this many times. Still, when his former partner disappeared into his office, seeming very much as if he would like to be left alone, Steve became concerned.

Strictly speaking, Steve had been concerned for a while. It seemed like being partners with Chin had turned Danny into a brooding recluse. That wasn't Danny; it was Steve.

So, of course, Steve felt it his duty as a friend to intrude on Danny's solitude. He didn't expect Danny to be the first one to speak.

"Do you want something?" he asked, rather sharply.

"Whoa," Steve said. "I just wanted to see if you're okay."

"What's this? Don't you have something to do with your new best friend?"

"Excuse me?" Steve actually sounded offended.

"Hey, good for you. Whatever."

"Danny... What's going on? Why are you so antagonistic?"

"I don't know, maybe my wife got kidnapped this morning!" She wasn't technically his wife, but it was the first descriptive term that popped into his head. "You know, I think a guy's entitled to be a little on edge after something like that."

"A little," Steve agreed ironically. "But not to accuse me of being a bad friend."

"Did I? I meant to say you're better off without me."

"Danny, you've said some stupid things before, but this is the height of your asininity."

"What am I supposed to think? You've been through all kinds of crap and now you've got a chance to get out from under it. I'm still in it though."

"We're all in it, Danny. We're still a team. I know a lot's happened and we're sort of broken, but we're still 5-0. That used to mean something."

"I don't know, Steve. I..."

"Stop keeping all this in. You never did before."

"Before. When are you all going to realize that things have changed."

"You don't change."

"I'm starting to doubt that."

"Danny..."

The conversation ended there because Danny got up and left his office. He didn't know what was happening, but it wasn't something he wanted to deal with right then. It really wasn't fair, but nothing was fair in the last thirty-four days.

**H-5-O**

Kono felt a little odd riding in the car with her cousin. She knew he was trying to make things right, and she appreciated the effort. It didn't make it any less awkward. Little did she know it was about to become exponentially worse.

"So, you and Steve?" Chin said.

"What?" Kono asked, genuinely confused.

"Danny says you've been spending a lot of time together."

"Yeah." Kono still didn't get why Chin would bring it up. "Kinda like when you quit HPD."

"Kinda."

"What are you asking?"

"Nothing. It's just interesting."

"Why? I mean, it's basically just been me and him all this time. Not a lot of people will talk to someone who was accused of killing the governor or stealing ten million dollars."

"Okay."

"Okay, what?"

"Nothing."

"Nu-uh, you brought this up."

"I just thought there might be something more to it. Guess I was wrong."

"Chin, that's... way off base."

"Like I said, _okay_."

"You really thought..."

"I didn't think anything. I said 'might'."

"You thought. I can tell you did."

"Well, I guess I was wrong. It's been known to happen. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Kono seemed satisfied with that. Seemed.

They arrived at Stan's mansion. The latter was on his back porch, so the butler led them there. He looked sufficiently worried, so Chin and Kono didn't suspect him of any active involvement. Still, they had to ask their questions.

"No," Stan said in answer. "This couldn't have anything to do with me."

"Why not?" Kono asked.

"Rachel left me, in case you've forgotten. Over a month ago. Why would anyone go after her because of me?"

"Maybe because she's the closest family you had. Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you?"

"No... I mean not like this. And anyway, I haven't received any demands. No ransom. Trust me, this has far more to do with Danny."

"Then maybe you know someone who would want to hurt him," Chin said.

"What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing. You seem to assume it's about Danny; I want to know why."

"I don't know of anything specific, but I know Danny has a lot of enemies. Honestly, when I talked to him, I just picked the most recent one."

"Can you give us a list of anyone you can think of who would likely do something like this?"

"Yeah, sure. Listen, I know I'm the ex now, but please find her."

"We will," Chin assured him.

**H-5-O**

Steve found Danny sitting on the steps outside. He was getting used to the setup.

"You know," he said, "I'm getting kind of tired of standing out here in the hot sun all the time."

"Then go inside," Danny muttered.

"Hey." Steve sat down next to him. "Danny, talk to me. What's going on with you?"

Danny started to make some kind of gesture with his hands, but then dropped them again. He couldn't explain what he was thinking; it didn't make sense.

"When you think things can't get worse," he said.

Steve nodded. "The only easy day was yesterday."

"What's that?"

"The SEAL motto. I can't believe you didn't know that."

"Guess I'm the one who wasn't such a good friend."

"Danny, you were right. You're going through more than the rest of us. But you gotta let us help, all right? And we can't help if we don't know how."

"I just don't know what to do."

"Yeah. I hear you."

"And I really didn't mean to say you were a bad friend. You never were. You're just so happy with Kono, I hate to bring you two back into this."

"We chose it, Danny. But really... you can't choose family, even the family you choose."

"Now who's asinine?"

"No, that was profound."

"Yeah, as profound as Homer Simpson."

"Let's see you do better."

"Remember 'nothing isn't'?"

"Yeah. I was thinking this was similar."

"No. Not at all."

"Will you give it up? You know I'm right."

"I know nothing of the kind."

"Sure, Danno."

The two of them grinned at each other. Steve knew all they needed was a good argument to bring Danny back to Earth. He might not be okay yet, but he wouldn't fly to pieces for a while longer.

**H-5-O**

When everyone met back at the office, Chin told them what they'd gotten from Stan. It wasn't all that helpful, but it ruled out that angle. They were about to start researching the clothing the assailants wore when Danny's phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, so he nodded at Kono to trace the call and then put it on speaker.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hello, Detective Williams," came a smooth voice.

Everyone could feel Steve tense and they knew it had to be Wo Fat.

"I have something of yours," the voice continued. "A rather feisty English woman."

For a second the heard Rachel's voice, but they couldn't understand what she was saying.

Danny finally found his voice. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I'm sure you already know my name," the voice replied. "As for what I want. That will come soon. You will receive a package with instructions. I advise you to follow them if you ever want to see her again."

The call ended and Kono slapped her hand on the table.

"Damn it!" She took a step back and ran her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry, Danny."

"It's not your fault," he said. "He's too smart to let us catch him that way."

"Check the number anyway," Chin said. "Probably disposable, but it couldn't hurt."

"What do we do now?" Steve asked. It seemed odd to everyone that he would ask that question when he was usually the one answering it.

"We wait for the package," Danny said. "And see where we go from there."

"But couldn't we get a general location of the phone from the cell towers in the area?"

"Probably, but he wouldn't let us find him like that."

"It's a ten mile area between the cell towers," Kono said. "That was as far as I could narrow it down."

"I think Danny's right," Chin said. "We have to wait and see what they want."

Steve didn't look particularly happy about that. "So we're just going to sit around? I'm sorry, but when did 5-0 ever work like that?"

"What do you suggest?" Chin asked.

Steve had no idea. He really just couldn't stand not doing something after hearing that voice. He had to check himself. The last time he reacted like this, he wound up accused of murder.

So, he took a deep breath and placed his palms flat on the table. He certainly didn't like taking orders from Chin; he hated it, but he respected the chain of command. Because he could never go back to the way he was thirty-four days ago.


	12. To Despair, to Hope

**Had a busy weekend, so it's taken longer or this chapter. No big deal, right? Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.**

**Chapter Twelve "To Despair, to Hope"**

"_**In all things it is better to hope than to despair."~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe**_

Steve wasn't sure why Chin gave him back his old office. It was bigger than the others. It was the boss' office. He knew Chin wanted things to be the way they were, but since they weren't at present, he didn't quite understand.

Still, he sat at his desk, drawing circles with his fingers on the surface. He was not good at waiting. For anything. But he knew they didn't have a choice. They needed to know what they were up against in order to help Rachel. Steve had to remind himself that finding her was priority one. Everything else was of little importance in comparison.

Steve was relieved when Chin knocked on his door. "Can you come out here a minute?" the lieutenant asked.

Steve was already on his feet. "What's up?" he asked.

Chin just motioned him to follow. Danny and Kono were already standing across from each other at the table. When Chin and Steve joined them there was a short silence.

Steve crossed his arms and rocked on his heels. Silence and sitting still. Not his strong points.

"All right," Chin finally said. "I know were all in an impossible situation. We're being attacked from all sides. But do you remember why 5-0 was destroyed in the first place?" There was a short pause. "Because we did our job too well. Because we were closing in and Wo Fat had to stop us. But he failed. Because here we are. Now, we're not anything like we were before, but we have got to come together. If we want a fighting chance, we need to be what we always were in spite of how things around us have changed. We all know this. I just thought we needed to be reminded. This is a team, not a boss and employees. We've got a second chance here. For me a third. Let's not waste it."

Everyone knew the truth of what Chin was saying. None of them could remember him talking for that long before. But he was right; they needed to be a team again. All or nothing.

Surprisingly, it was Kono who spoke first. "We're 5-0," she said. "That means we belong somewhere. Here." She looked at Steve, who had given them their name from his father. She knew he understood.

"And Rachel's one of us," Steve said. "Everything else isn't important."

Danny was surprised Steve would say that. Rachel didn't know any of them very well, but she was part of them because Danny was. She was family to them.

"We're better than most families," Danny said. "Something like this happens and blood relatives won't speak to each other. But not us. We're better."

Something about the conversation, full of declarative sentences made them all feel better. They knew who they were and why they did what they did. And none of them was alone.

**H-5-O**

It was getting late and Chin sent everyone home. No one wanted to leave, but there was nothing more they could do. The three of them went back to Steve's house. It was automatic. They ate leftover spaghetti and didn't talk much, each of them lost in his or her thoughts.

It was near midnight when Steve came downstairs, unable to sleep and thinking of going out to the beach. Only he found Kono sitting up on the couch. Her chin rested on her hands, but her eyes were wide open.

"You okay?" he asked, quietly.

She nodded. "Just thinking," she said.

"Looks like it." Steve sat down beside her. "About?"

Kono shook her head and dropped her hands. "What am I doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've spent the last few nights here and it's not even weird."

"You don't want to be alone. Honestly, I wish you'd come sooner. It would have made the last month more bearable."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Haven't you noticed how things got better when you showed up?"

"I guess I thought it was you."

"No, definitely you."

"You know something weird?"

"Just one thing? I can think of several."

"Well, you're the best friend I've ever had."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really. I don't know how I lived before this."

"This. Where everything's fallen to pieces, but we're best friends."

"Are we?"

"I guess. Danny thinks so."

"Is he..."

"Jealous? I don't think so. He's worried. Freaking out. I don't think he has time to feel anything else. And besides, you're not him. It's different."

"Why? Because I'm a woman?"

"No. Because you're Kono. You're a different person. And never having had a best friend before, I reserve the right to have two now."

"You know, sometimes I forget how much like a little kid you are."

"Excuse me?"

"It's cute."

"Oh... I'm taking that as a good thing."

"I guess it just means you're more than the tough guy everyone thinks you are."

"I could have told you that."

"But you wouldn't. You don't tell people things."

"Okay, give me a chance to prove you wrong."

"Fine. How do you really feel about being my partner?"

"Hmm. I like it. I miss Danny. So, torn, I guess."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah. Don't tell him I said that."

"He knows."

"I'm not sure. Right now, he knows Rachel is missing. He knows Wo Fat has her. I know he's got an incredible mind, but even he can't compartmentalize that well."

"Guess so. I bet he misses you though."

"I know he does. I wish he didn't have to."

"That's something else most people don't know about you."

"What?"

"You really love your friends. You might not be good at showing it, but we know. Somehow, we can feel it."

"Good." Steve stood up. "You want to come with me?"

"Where?"

"Outside."

"Why?"

"If I had to have a reason, I wouldn't be going."

Kono smiled, though Steve couldn't see it in the dark. "Sure."

**H-5-O**

Kono woke with her face on the sand. Next to her, closer than she would have expected, Steve slept. The sun was just barely coming up and Kono shivered in the morning chill. She unconsciously moved closer to Steve and pressed her back against his side. He stirred a little, but didn't wake up.

Kono found herself unable to go back to sleep. She thought of Chin's questions the previous day. She didn't know why; there was nothing to them. But she was beginning to see how people might assume there was more to her a Steve's relationship than there really was. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. In a way, she and Steve had saved one another. She was closer to him than she ever had been with another man.

That didn't have to mean anything. And Steve would never be interested in her that way. Plus he'd just been through a difficult breakup. Kono couldn't believe she was thinking this way. She didn't want to be with Steve. She wanted to be friends. It was so much better than any romance she'd ever had.

And really, romance would spoil it. Kono and Steve had a special bond. It wasn't based on attraction or superficial things they had in common. Kono didn't have a word to describe what Steve was to her. Friend was too common and brother wasn't right either. Other half might have been closer, but it sounded too romantic.

Partner. That was a good word. But with that thought, Kono realized, she would be disappointed when she couldn't call Steve her partner anymore. But she wasn't selfish enough to wish for things not to change. Steve needed to be back with Danny. He needed to be in charge again.

Kono understood with some regret that when that happened, they wouldn't be as close as before. But if it meant Steve got what he needed, she could make that sacrifice willingly. She loved him enough.

**H-5-O**

Steve woke when the sun hit his eyes. He felt warmer than he thought he would after sleeping outside, but he discovered that was because of the woman lying next to him. He wasn't really surprised to find Kono next to him, but he found that odd. Why wasn't he surprised? Why did this feel so normal?

Steve didn't spend much time thinking about it. He rolled onto his side to look at her.

"Good morning." Steve was surprised to hear Kono's voice; he hadn't realized she was awake.

"Morning," he replied in a sleepy voice.

"I think it's funny." Kono turned onto her back so she could look at Steve.

"What is?" he asked.

"That we couldn't sleep inside, but we came out here and slept through the night."

"I'm not the least bit surprised."

"Why not?"

"We belong here." Steve sat up and took in the scenery that never seemed the same to him. "I feel more at home right here than anywhere else."

"Is it weird that I do too?" Kono propped herself up on her elbows.

"No. I don't mind sharing."

Kono smiled and sat up completely. Her shoulder touched Steve's and neither of them seemed to notice. Or they didn't care. And when Steve wrapped his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder, it seemed like the most normal thing in the world.


	13. The Best People

**Thanks again for all the reviews. I apologize for all the literary references. I can't help myself.**

**Chapter Thirteen "The Best People"**

"_**Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds."~Colin Powell**_

When everyone arrived at HQ that morning, Steve announced that he had an idea.

"And you didn't feel like sharing on the way over here?" Danny asked.

"Normally when I have ideas, people yell at me," Steve replied. "I thought it would be easier if you all got it over with at once."

"Oh, it's one of those ideas."

"Nothing but an earnest desire of being useful... Who said that?"

"Jane Austen," Kono said. "It's in _Sense and Sensibility_."

"This is a little disturbing," Danny said. "However, on to your very bad idea."

"Why do you assume it will be a bad idea?" Chin asked.

Danny gestured at Steve without a word.

Chin couldn't help a small smile. "Let's hear it anyway," he said.

"All right," Steve said, "So far, Wo Fat has been largely unpredictable. And we have been nothing but predictable. We've been reacting. What we need to do is get ahead of him. I guess I have to ask, do we still have the same privileges as before?"

"Yes," Chin replied.

"Then I think it's about time we took advantage of that. This is where it gets complicated. We have to look like we're cooperating. But we've seen how well actual cooperation has worked in the past." Here Steve looked at Chin.

"You're right about that," Chin said. "What do you suggest?"

"I think—Danny, keep your mouth shut until I'm finished—I think we need to run some secondary covert operations."

Danny raised his hand. "Definition?" he asked.

"I was getting to that. Whilst you two are keeping up the pretense of cooperation, Kono and I can actually be out there looking for Rachel."

"Whilst?"

"Hey, I listen when you use big words."

"How are you going to do that?" Chin asked, referring to finding Rachel.

Steve looked hesitant. "Ways you probably don't want to know. Look, we have the okay from the governor, right? And this is where we would be the most use. Isn't that why you brought us back?"

Chin realized that this was Steve testing how much he trusted him. It was completely necessary and Steve was the best man for the job.

"Okay," Chin finally said.

"Okay?" Danny asked. "What does that mean?"

"Means it's a good idea and we'll do it."

"You're serious?"

"Most of the time. Haven't you noticed?"

"I can't believe this."

"We'll keep you advised of anything relevant," Steve said.

"All right," Chin replied. "Let's get to work."

**H-5-O**

"You're sure about this?" Kono asked as they drove back to Steve's house.

"Positive," he replied.

"I guess it's a good thing I trust you."

"That's becoming a more popular sentiment."

"You know, Danny does too. He just worries about you."

"I know. He's got a reason to be afraid. If they were only trying to hurt me, that'd be one thing, but now they've gone after his family. Who knows where this will end."

"I have my hopes. Mostly they include you putting a bullet through Wo Fat's brain."

"I can't deny that would be nice."

Kono smirked. "And we're the good guys."

"All the way. Normal people are shocked at the things we do, but if we didn't, we'd be cowards and they wouldn't have the safety that makes them normal."

"It sounds so simple."

"Does it? I never thought so. I've spent most of my life doing things no one should even have to think about. And here I am, going to do it again. But I'd never change one day of it."

"Yeah... guess that's how you know you're meant to do this."

"It's kept me going anyway."

"I think what I was saying is that when you think about it that way, the choice of whether or not to keep going is simple."

Steve nodded. "That it is."

They pulled into Steve's driveway and went into the house. Steve headed for the closet under the stairs.

"What exactly are we doing?" Kono asked.

"Supplies," Steve replied. He came out carrying extra weapons and ammo and various other things.

"Are we planning on storming their hideout?" Kono asked.

"If we can find it," Steve said.

"Now I know why Danny thinks you're crazy."

"You want to go back? I can do this alone."

"No way. For one thing, I can't let you get yourself killed. I'm the backup, right?"

"No." Steve smirked. "You're my partner."

"Then where else would I want to be?"

"Okay, let's get going."

Steve's phone rang and he had a feeling Danny had received the "package" he was promised.

"Yeah?" Steve answered.

"I've gotten my first demand," Danny said. "They want all your father's evidence that Laura Hills gave you."

"All right. I'll leave it on the desk for you."

"Steve—"

"We'll get it all back. And what use is it when they have Rachel anyway?"

"Okay. They want us to leave it in a park and someone will pick it up. If the courier comes back alone and unharmed, Rachel is safe for now."

"Okay, give us the address. After you leave the evidence, we'll watch to see where the courier goes. And don't worry; he won't see us."

"Steve, if he thinks he's been followed..."

"He won't, Danno. Trust me, okay?"

"Okay. Be careful."

"You too."

**H-5-O**

"How are you going to follow the courier without him knowing?" Kono asked as she and Steve were once again on the road. This time headed toward the drop off site.

"You'll see," Steve replied.

"I see how this could become obnoxious."

"It's hard to explain. You try to stay behind another car, change lanes a lot, stuff like that."

"Why is that hard to explain?"

"There's more to it than that. It sounds too easy."

"Right. So if this guy leads us to Wo Fat, what do we do?"

"Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"Yeah, I'm just making sure I understand you."

"You do."

"You do know the chances of us getting killed are pretty high?"

"Not really. I always thought we were a pretty deadly pair."

"True. I guess I just have to be the voice of doom since no one else is."

"Just so long as you don't have any reservations."

"Never. I know no one can stop us when we're set on something."

"It seems we understand each other."

"Seems? I know not seems."

Steve gave Kono a confused look.

"Hamlet," she said.

"So is it national quote the classics day or something?"

"Hey, you made the Jane Austen reference."

"Accidentally."

"Well, we could declare it national quote the classics day. But there probably already is one. I mean, there's a national doughnut day."

"Danny's favorite holiday."

"And let's not forget talk like a pirate day."

"You made that up."

"No, I didn't. It's September nineteenth. You can Google it."

"How does a pirate talk anyway?"

"You know, arrg, and stuff like that."

"Arrg?"

"I don't know."

"I guess when I think of pirates, I don't think of the Disney version."

"No, I suppose you're thinking about vicious, machine gun toting criminals."

"Basically."

"Hey, there's the drop site." Kono pointed out the window and Steve pulled over a few car lengths back.

"Did you hear from Danny?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, he texted and said the evidence is in place. We just have to wait for the courier."

It turned out that Steve and Kono had to wait longer than they thought. They spent most of the morning waiting in the car. When the courier did arrive, they spotted him immediately.

"That guy look familiar to you?" Steve asked.

"Yakuza," Kono said. "This has to be him."

They watched him pick up the evidence and head back to his car. Steve pulled out after him and wove through traffic so he wouldn't be seen.

"So what do you do in thin traffic?" Kono asked.

"Improvise," Steve replied, not taking his eyes off the road.

The courier led them through the heart of the city, probably trying to shake any possible tails. After about ten minutes, Kono checked her gun.

"Calm," Steve said.

"What?" she replied.

"Don't let yourself get antsy. It never goes well."

Kono nodded and turned back to the road ahead. She sat back in her seat and wondered how she was supposed to feel calm. They were following a Yakuza member toward probably a lot of other Yakuza and Wo Fat. That seemed like quite a big deal to her. But she realized it was a big deal to Steve too, but he couldn't let it dictate his actions. They had to get to Rachel. Nothing else mattered.


	14. Into Battle

**Thanks for all the great reviews! Hope you guys enjoy a little action, 'cause that's what you're getting in this chapter.**

**Chapter Fourteen "Into Battle"**

"_**It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle."~General Norman Schwarzkopf**_

Steve didn't allow himself to think of what would happen if he lost the courier. That simply wasn't an option. Of course, he had considered that they were probably about to get into a very dangerous situation with no immediate backup. He had always worked very well that way, but for some reason this seemed different. Maybe it was the fact that Kono seemed to follow him indiscriminately. He knew that wasn't true. She was very smart and she wanted to save Rachel as much as he did.

That's why Steve didn't feel guilty for dragging her into this. He would readily admit he couldn't do it alone and Kono was one of about three people he could trust. And really, she was the best person because she didn't have as much distraction.

Of course, Steve was aware that he'd been doing almost nothing for a month and his reflexes might not be at their best. But in his experience, adrenaline more than made up for that. Somehow, the idea of conflict always brought back his extensive training. And from their little encounter on the beach, Steve was sure that Kono had lost none of her skills either.

"He's stopping." Kono's voice brought Steve out of his thoughts.

He drove another block and parked. In the rear view mirror, he could see the courier getting out and going into an average looking apartment building.

"We can't lose him," Steve said, getting out of the car and grabbing his flack vest. Kono followed suit and they were on their way. Once inside, they heard the courier going up the stairs.

"He sees us, we're done," Kono said.

"He won't see us," Steve replied and they started up the stairs, much more softly than their prey. They stopped at each landing and listened as the courier started up the next flight.

"How many floors were there?" Kono whispered.

"Twelve," Steve replied. They were on the seventh.

More floors passed and the courier kept going. Steve realized he was probably headed for the roof. That meant Rachel probably wasn't in this building. Steve ran through the possibilities. They would have to follow a second messenger. Or maybe Wo Fat was baiting him. Steve knew he needed to ignore those thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Not being seen.

They finally reached the roof and waited in the stairwell as the courier went outside. They couldn't risk getting any closer, but they didn't need to.

"Is this what he wanted?" a voice asked.

Kono gasped.

"What?" Steve asked.

"That's Stan," she hissed.

"Call Danny. Have him find out who owns this building."

Kono nodded and went a little further down the stairs. Steve kept listening.

"Yep," the courier said. "Deliver this to Wo Fat and she'll leave with you."

"All right," Stan said.

"The location's already in the GPS."

Steve heard the courier give Stan his car keys and took that as time to move along. As they hurried down the stairs a few floors ahead of Stan, Kono told him what Danny had said.

"It looks like Stan Edwards just bought this building yesterday," she said. "Maybe an excuse to use it as a drop point?"

"Probably," Steve said. "But if Stan's going to meet with Wo Fat, we have to be there. Anyway, I don't think they'll come through on their promise."

"What promise?"

"The courier said that if Stan gave Wo Fat the evidence 'she' would leave with him. I assume he's trying to get Rachel back."

"So, if Wo Fat and Rachel are at the next location, what's the plan?"

"Get Rachel to safety. Stan, maybe, but I'm not particular about that. He is technically an accomplice now. We should probably arrest him."

"You always ad lib, don't you?"

"Today, yes."

They got back in the car and waited for Stan to emerge from the building. He did not disappoint and soon they were following him down the road. He was much easier to tail. He didn't even seem to care whether or not he was being followed.

**H-5-O**

"It's official," Danny muttered.

"What is?" Chin asked.

"Stanley Edwards is the world's biggest idiot."

"I think we knew that already."

"No, this is more idiotic than that. If there were life on other planets, he'd be stupider than all of them too. The only thing dumber than him would have to be gravel."

Chin could see that having someone to blame was helping Danny. Up until then, it had seemed like he was blaming himself for not stopping Rachel from being kidnapped. Now he could be angry at Stan, which he was anyway, so things were much easier.

Chin knew what a huge effect everything had on Danny. He seemed to understand, more than anyone else the implications of what happened. While Steve and Kono seemed to be making the best of their current position and Chin was trying his hardest to fix everything, Danny was acutely aware of how messed up things actually were.

Chin shook his head and went back to hacking into Stan's GPS. Even if he could shake Steve and Kono, which was pretty impossible, they would be able to catch up to him.

"Got a location," Chin said.

"That is fantastic," Danny said. "Did I ever tell you how wonderful you are? I mean, in this respect. You certainly have flaws, but here, you are the best."

"Yeah, you may have mentioned it once or twice. You want to call Kono?"

"Absolutely." Danny put the phone on speaker. "We have your location," he said. "Hold your applause."

"Oh, bravo," Kono said, only half sarcastically. "Where is it?"

"It's a cabin," Chin said, "but this area's so remote, he'll know if he's being followed."

"No he won't," came Steve's voice. "Give us the location and send backup about ten minutes from Stan's ETA."

"Be careful, Steve," Chin said. "You too, Kono."

"Don't worry Cos'," Kono said. "We will."

**H-5-O**

When Stan turned off the main road, Steve pulled over. They couldn't keep following him, or he would notice them. Still, Kono wasn't sure what they were going to do.

"You got everything you need?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. What are we doing?" Kono asked.

"Hiking," Steve replied.

They got out of the car and without another word, they headed into the jungle, parallel to the road. It was only a ten minute jog to their destination, but Stan arrived a few minutes before. They watched from the bushes as he met with someone they couldn't see.

"They're going inside," Steve said. "We need to get closer."

"How?" Kono asked, seeing how little cover there was from their current location to the cabin.

"We'll just be fast."

"Just."

"What? You're fast."

"Thanks, I guess."

"I think we should move up west a little." Steve seemed to know that Kono was only "being the voice of doom" again, and wasn't actually concerned.

"Yeah," she said. "And then?"

"Then we run for Stan's car. Once there, we can try to find the best way to the house."

"You don't think they have lookouts?"

"Well... probably."

"Well, what if I went up further and caused a distraction? Then you could get up close without anyone seeing."

Steve didn't say anything at first. Kono could tell he didn't exactly like the idea. But she knew if it were Danny with him instead of her, that's what they'd do. So, she didn't wait for an answer.

"Hey," Steve whispered. "Be careful, all right?"

"You got it boss." She smiled and disappeared into the jungle.

Steve didn't even think twice about the nickname. He waited until he heard Kono's distraction and then he broke cover to run for the car. Once there, he waited. He could hear a couple of people heading off in Kono's direction. He couldn't help a small smile. They wouldn't be coming back out.

Steve looked around. He had about three minuted before backup arrived. If Rachel was in that cabin, he had to get to her first. He heard a sharp crack in the jungle, followed by a cry of pain. More goons left the cabin to investigate.

_Way to go, Kono_, Steve thought with a grin. Then he made his move to the side of the cabin. He couldn't risk the front windows, so he headed for a bedroom window and looked in. No one was there, and the window opened with a little persuasion. Steve climbed in and dropped to the floor. He drew his gun and headed for the door.

He could hear voices in the main room. From his position, he could peek through a crack in the door and see a hallway. There was another bedroom across from him and the main room to his left.

Steve pulled the door open a little more and he could see Stan's back and hear Wo Fat's voice.

"She's just in the other room," he said. "As soon as my men come back, the two of you may leave. You remember my conditions?"

"Of course."

"And you have the means?"

"Yes. I can get her out of the country easily. They'll never find us."

Steve realized what was happening. Even without killing her, Wo Fat was taking Rachel away from Danny forever.

Two minutes.

Steve eased the door open a little more. He had no way of knowing if there were any others in the house, but he had to take that chance. He stepped out into the hallway and raised his gun.

"Five-0," he said, almost quietly and with an obvious smirk. He saw the expression on Wo Fat's face shift from confident to angry. He masked it quickly though.

"Stanley," he said. "I thought I told you to come alone."

"I—" Stan began, but he never finished.

Before Steve could stop him, Wo Fat pulled a gun and shot Stan in the heart. Steve was ready to squeeze his own trigger when he sensed another presence. He ducked as a fist came at his head and kicked the assailant's legs out from under him. That took about two seconds. Time enough for Wo Fat to redirect.

Steve rolled to the side, back into the bedroom he came from. He shot the guard form there and then came back out. Wo Fat shot at him, but he dogged to the side and heard sirens. Then Steve fired blindly. It didn't matter because Wo Fat was the only other person in the house. But when he looked around the living room, Wo Fat was nowhere to be seen. There was only a second of confusion before he felt the bullets hit his chest and he fell backwards.

His gun clattered away and he heard footsteps. It took more time than he had to catch his breath. Steve couldn't believe it; he was about to die. He saw the barrel of the gun and Wo Fat's face beyond it. He relaxed. He wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of seeing anything but calm in his eyes.

Three shots rang out. Blood spattered his face and Steve was surprised at how little it hurt.


	15. Words and Silence

**A speedy update because I couldn't leave you all hanging. But you knew this would happen, didn't you?**

**Chapter Fifteen "Words and Silence"**

"**In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."~Martin Luther King Jr.**

Kono knew that Steve was better at the jungle survival thing, but she wasn't so bad herself. After she'd drawn the first guards to her location and disposed of them, the noise alerted more.

_Good_, she thought. _Fewer people guarding Rachel. Fewer people to try and kill Steve._ She didn't know why she would be worried about the latter.

When the last of the guards were dealt with, Kono hurried back toward the cabin. As she go to the edge of the trees, she heard gunshots.

_Time for back up_, she thought. She started toward the front door, but before she got there, more shots rang out and she heard the sirens approaching. Throwing open the door, Kono was shocked. Steve was lying on the floor, not moving and Wo Fat was standing over him, gun trained on Steve's head.

Without thinking, Kono raised her weapon and fired until the clip was empty. Wo Fat fell beside Steve and only then did Kono notice that Steve was gasping for breath.

Kono ran over to him to see that he had three holes in his vest, but none of them had gone through. She began to help him out of it when he stopped her.

"Find Rachel," Steve said with a cough. "I'm okay."

"Yeah, you sound great," Kono said, trying to ignore the fear his ragged breathing induced. The blood on his face wasn't his. He would be okay.

"Go already."

Kono helped Steve to his feet and they hurried to the back bedroom. It looked dishearteningly empty. But there was a closet. Steve noticed it first and pulled open the door. Rachel was curled up on the floor, hands and feet tied and mouth gagged. Steve quickly untied her and pulled her out. It was then he saw how badly bruised she was. She was holding herself up less than Steve was carrying her.

"Where's Danny?" she mumbled.

"He's on his way," Steve said.

"Hey," Kono said, putting her hand on Steve's arm.

"I'm fine," Steve said quietly. Then he looked at Kono's face and saw a dark red streak across her right cheekbone.

"Are you okay?"

Kono smiled and then winced. "I didn't get shot three times. Just once."

"I didn't get shot." Steve coughed again.

"I'll have to ask Danny, but I think this BS could get old."

Steve only smirked at her and carried Rachel outside. Kono tried to help, but didn't get very far. By this time, HPD officers and EMTs surrounded the area. Danny and Chin came running toward them. In the chaos, Steve didn't really pay attention to Danny taking Rachel off his hands, except that she was safe with him.

Steve was finally able to think about something other than saving her. They had succeeded. Wo Fat was dead. It was over. Steve found it hard to breathe. He removed his vest, but it didn't seem to help. He leaned against one of the EMS vehicles, breath now coming in gasps. He could feel the deep bruises on his chest, but that wasn't the only reason.

Once he was able to steady his breathing a little bit, Steve realized that what he was experiencing was much more than a physical reaction. Everything he had needed to happen just had. The man responsible for everything wrong in his life was dead. Gone. Forever.

Steve slid to the ground. He couldn't stand anymore. Adrenaline, emotion, and injuries all played a role. He just wanted to close his eyes and forget about everything. It was all too much. He had almost died at the hands of his nemesis, but Kono had saved him.

Kono. He needed to find her. She was bleeding. Who knew what other injuries she might have. Steve's mind shifted from one thing to another until he was gasping for breath again and only then did he notice there were several EMTs around him, trying to talk to him.

"I'm okay," Steve said, but no one was convinced. Somehow, he ended up in the back of an ambulance and Kono was beside him.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Steve, I'm fine," she said. "But you're kind of worrying us."

"I'm okay."

"His pulse is way too fast," one of the EMTs said. "I think he's going into shock."

Steve didn't really understand what anyone was saying, but he didn't want to be there. It felt too tight and breathing became more and more difficult.

"Steve," Kono said, getting his attention. "We're going to the hospital, okay? We'll meet Danny there."

Steve hadn't realized that he asked about Danny. Maybe going to the hospital would be a good idea.

**H-5-O**

Danny was about to strangle something when the doctor came into the waiting room. It hadn't been that long, but it felt like forever.

"Is she okay?" he asked before the doctor could say anything.

"Yes, Detective. She will be fine. She's suffered some severe bruising and she was getting dehydrated, but a few days of rest and plenty of fluids and she'll be fine."

Danny's sigh of relief affected his whole body.

"And if you were wondering," the doctor said. "The baby is fine too. You can go in and see her now."

As the doctor left, Danny sank into a chair. All the exhaustion of the last few days was catching up with him.

"Baby?" Chin asked from the chair next to Danny. "You failed to mention that."

Danny ran his hands over his face. "Yeah. It never seemed like a good time," Danny replied.

"Well, you should get in there." Chin nodded. "I'll go check on Steve."

"Yeah, let me know how he's doing, all right?"

"Yeah. Go."

Danny hurried toward Rachel's room. There was so much to say and he hardly knew where to begin. He couldn't believe Stan had been involved. He would have to wait for Steve to know just how much. And it was hard not to worry about his former partner even though he was getting to see Rachel. Even though it hadn't felt like it lately, Steve was still a huge part of him. Danny realized that in spite of how things had gone so wrong, he never wanted to leave Hawaii now.

Opening the door, Danny saw Rachel's pale face all purple and blue. His eyes stung at the thought of what they'd done to her. She was sleeping, but Danny took a chair next to her and reached for her hand. She would be okay. Their baby would be okay. They would all be a family again. And that wasn't even the half of it.

A few tears of relief fell and Danny couldn't help feeling incredibly grateful. As wrong as his life had gone, there was hope. There was still some good.

**H-5-O**

Steve woke up slowly and an excruciating pain stabbed through his head and chest. He felt like he'd nearly drowned.

"Hey." He heard Kono's soft voice, which was a mercy. Danny's would have made this all so much worse.

"What happened?" Steve asked.

"You lost a lot of oxygen to your brain, apparently," she replied. "Put that together with getting shot three times and all the stress... I think you were due for some kind of breakdown."

"Can you turn the light off?"

"It won't help. The doctor will be back soon with some pain meds for you. But, hey, other than that, you're fine. I mean, there are those huge bruises and you have to take it easy for a few days."

"Mmph."

"Rachel's okay. Did you know she was pregnant?"

Steve opened his eyes all the way. "Yes. You didn't?"

"I guess Danny only told you."

Steve smiled. "I must be special."

"Yeah. You are pretty special."

Steve heard the teasing tone, but ignored it. "Hey, thank you."

"For what?"

"Oh, you know, being so kick ass and saving my life and all that."

Kono smiled, embarrassed. "You're welcome."

"You're a great partner."

"And you're not as bad as Danny always says."

"Yes I am. You just don't notice because you're more like me."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm."

"I guess you were right. We are pretty deadly."

"You know I was thinking... If things are never like they were... that's okay."

Kono nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I think so."

Steve wasn't sure if it was just the way they clicked that made him want to spend more time with Kono. He'd already been with her practically 24/7 for the past few days. It didn't seem like enough. He pushed the thought down. It was dangerously close to an area he did not want to enter.

Kono was his friend. She had saved his life countless times over the last four days. He didn't care what it meant. Right now, he was just happy she was with him. He would figure the rest out later, when he felt more mental and emotional stamina.

**H-5-O**

Chin was exhausted, but he was almost finished with his report for the governor. After learning that Rachel and Steve were all right, he hurried back to the crime scene and started looking at the evidence HPD had collected. He was surprised to find information linking Wo Fat to Governor Jameson. This was exactly what he needed.

What Chin didn't expect was for Governor Kalani to come into his office right then.

"Sir?" Chin stood up quickly.

"Sit down, Kelly," Kalani said. "I think I'm about to see your point."

Chin returned to his chair and the governor took one opposite him.

"You mean you'll consider..."

"Give me a reason."

"Well, I haven't quite finished my report yet, but you should know that we found massive amounts of evidence linking Jameson to Wo Fat. He may have used it to blackmail her, but either way, Steve was right. He's been cleared of everything he was accused of. Sir, I don't see why not."

"There are a few things I'd like to clear up. You are a well respected member of the police force and I trust you to be objective on this. Is McGarrett really a better man for the job?"

"Sir, Steve McGarrett trusted me when no one else would. He knew I hadn't done what I was accused of. He's far more perceptive, more respected by this team, and he's generally a better leader than I am. He should never have been removed from his position in the first place."

"I take it that's why you didn't take the bigger office?" Kalani raised his eyebrows.

"Yes sir. Call me optimistic and I'll disagree, but I knew he belonged there."

"Well, send me your report when you finish. I'll make final decisions then."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

**H-5-O**

When Chin got back to the hospital late that evening, Steve and Kono were in the waiting room outside Rachel's room. Chin gave them a genuine smile and sat down.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Steve.

"Like that time I almost drowned," Steve replied with a smile of his own.

"When was that?"

"I was in... never mind. I can't tell you."

"Ah. One of those."

"How's the case going?" Kono asked.

"I've sent my report to the governor. Things are looking good. Well, except for everyone at that cabin."

"I think it worked out nicely," Steve said. "It's easier not to take prisoners."

"I thought you were a SEAL, not a pirate," Kono said.

"Yes." Steve offered no other explanation and the cousins didn't ask.

"Has anyone called Danny's family?" Chin asked.

"I don't know," Kono said.

"I'll ask him," Steve said, getting up. He headed down the hall and knocked twice before entering Rachel's room. She was still asleep, but Danny looked up.

"Hey," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Steve said. "Nothing serious. I was wondering if you needed me to call anyone."

"Oh..." Danny's eyes widened. "You're right. I completely forgot."

"Well, don't worry about it. I'll call Grace and let her know."

"Good luck when my mom takes the phone."

"I'm sure she's a lovely person."

"She is. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Steve smiled and Danny thought that, yes, they might all just be okay in the end.


	16. Hope and Certainty

**Can't seem to stop writing this story. It won't be too long before the end, but a few things need to be ironed out yet. Thank you all for the consistent reviews.**

**Chapter Sixteen "Hope and Certainty"**

"_**Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out."~Vaclav Havel**_

Steve stood in the hallway and looked down at his phone. His thumb hovered over her name. It seemed like forever since he had picked her up from school and she'd asked innocently if Danno was okay. It had only been a little over a month.

Steve shook his head and hit "call." He honestly couldn't wait to hear her voice. The phone rang a couple of times before Grace's excited voice came on the other end.

"Uncle Steve?"

"Hey, Gracie," he said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." She sounded a little peeved. "Grandma wouldn't let me call Danno. Is he all right?"

"Yeah, Danno's fine. I'll tell him you wanted to talk to him. He's with your mom right now."

"He is? Where?"

"Well, she's in the hospital, but she'll be okay. She just has to rest and get better."

"Uncle Steve, did you get the bad guys that took her?"

"Yeah, we did. Every last one."

"Does that mean I can come home now?"

Steve heard another voice on the other end of the phone and he found himself on the other end of a Danny-worthy rant.

"You listen to me, young man, I want to talk to my son right now."

"Mrs. Williams—"

"Yes, yes, you assure me he's fine. I want to talk to him myself."

"All right. I'll tell Danny and have him call you."

"No, you give him the phone right now."

Steve sighed. "All right. Give me a second." Steve peeked back into Rachel's room and Danny gave him a knowing look.

"Mom?" he asked.

"Yeah. She's insisting on talking to you," Steve said.

Danny held out his hand without a word. Steve gave him the phone and crossed his arms. He wasn't going to miss this.

"Hi, Mom," Danny said. Then Danny was quiet for a long time. He gave Steve a mock look of exasperation. "Listen... Mom... Hey, I'm okay. I'm fine. I wasn't there until it was over... Yeah, Steve and Kono saved the day... And Rachel's fine. She's sleeping... Mom, you don't need to do that... Seriously?... Okay, okay. Let me know when you arrive... All right. I love you too."

Danny hung up the phone and handed it back to Steve. He sighed dramatically, but Steve could tell he was happy.

"Sorry about that," Steve said.

"Ah, don't mention it. They're coming down for the week. Bringing Grace... Where am I going to put them?"

"Danny, you can all stay at my house. There's another room and I guess Grace would have to fight Kono for the couch. Or I could take the couch and they can have my room."

"You really don't have to do that."

"Suppose our situations were reversed."

Danny waved Steve off. "Fine. But you, my friend, are taking it easy for the next few days. Mom won't take any of your crap either."

Steve smiled and turned to the door. "Thanks, Danno," he said.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Danny wasn't quite sure what Steve was thanking him for, but he had a feeling it wasn't anything that could be put into words. And the more he thought about it, the more he realize that Steve probably really wanted his whole family to stay at his house. Steve had sort of adopted Danny in a weird way and it would be strange for them not to stay with him.

**H-5-O**

Steve headed back out to the waiting room where Kono was waiting alone. Chin had gone back to work to make sure the case was all handled properly. Steve felt strange not doing that himself.

"The boss said to go home," Kono said. "I guess we got off lucky this afternoon."

"Yeah," Steve replied. "How's your face?" He noticed the white bandage standing out against her dark skin.

"It was just a scratch." She brushed her hair aside. "You on the other hand, will not be allowed your strenuous swim for a few days."

Steve placed his hands on his hips. "Apparently I'm being mothered from all sides. The Williams family is coming for a visit."

"Really?" Kono looked pleased.

"You'll have to share a room with Grace."

"Steve, I can go home."

"Well, you don't have to, if you want to stay."

"Actually, I think I might stay with Chin for a while. We've got a lot of rebuilding to do." Kono was surprised at the disappointed look in Steve's eyes, but his masked it quickly.

"You'll both have to come over while they're here."

She smiled. "Of course. Come on. I feel like eating an entire pizza."

"Hey, I'll buy, just so long as you tell me all about how you took out those guards."

Kono laughed, and considered herself lucky. "Deal."

They ended up getting pizza and heading back to Steve's house. Once they were safely settled on the couch, they started talking.

"First I just made a lot of noise," Kono said.

"I heard," Steve replied.

"Yeah. I hid in a tree and when the first two came out I dropped on them. Then the others came."

"I remember. I'd gotten to the car when the second two went out. There was only one left in the house."

"I wish I'd thought of that. If—"

"That's not a word," Steve interrupted.

Kono met his eyes and didn't say any more.

"You did 5-0 proud today," Steve went on. "It was almost like we'd never left."

"Yeah. Makes me wish I'd been with you when you went into the jungle after those assassins a few months back."

"No, you don't. I mean, if it hadn't been for the witness in mortal danger every second, yeah, it might have been fun."

"That's what I meant."

Steve smiled. "I can see how this partnership might become a menace."

"I'm determined to enjoy it. We never know what will happen tomorrow."

"You're right. I guess we sort of took things for granted before. Maybe we needed a wake up call before we—_I_—made things worse."

"You were just doing what you knew how. Sometimes I wish it could always be that simple. Tossing guys in shark cages is way easier that trying to convince them to talk."

"But Danny knows what he's doing. Don't tell him I said that."

"Sure."

"And you know, I'm glad he wasn't there today. I mean, I wish I could have gone alone, but that wouldn't have worked."

Kono shook her head. "You're a funny man, Steve McGarrett."

"How so?"

"You wish you could single-handedly take out every bad guy in the world so no one you love would ever get hurt. But you forget that all those people love you and wish the same thing sometimes."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really. I mean, today, when I got to the cabin and saw you on the floor, I thought 'oh, hell, I'm too late'." Kono stopped talking when she realized how emotional she was becoming. This wasn't exactly how she'd planned to say this. But it had to come out. "I thought you were dead and the only thing I could do was kill the man who killed you. Do you know how empty that feels?"

Steve nodded slowly. "Yeah. I do," he said. "When I shot Victor Hesse, I didn't feel anything. It didn't make anything better."

"Yeah... But I'll admit, when I saw you breathing, I just about cried. It was a whole two seconds I thought you were dead, but that was enough."

"You know, I was sure I was going to die. I remember thinking that I couldn't let him see me afraid. I wasn't really. Not for myself anyway. I can't count how many times I've stared death in the face. Contrary to what Danny says, I am acutely aware of my own mortality."

"You know it's funny, I don't think I was. Of mine or yours. I remember when Chin almost died, and Danny, but you... You were like superman. Invincible, and I was too."

"Well, we're still extremely resilient. We're not dead yet, anyway."

"And hopefully won't be for a while." Kono smirked. "Are you gonna eat that?" She eyed the last piece of pizza. Steve pushed the box toward her and she snatched it up.

"So you're going over to Chin's for a while?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. I think it's a good idea."

"Probably... But I'll miss you."

Steve didn't feel the least bit odd admitting it. He wanted Kono to know exactly how he felt. And he wanted her to come back. He didn't know what that meant. Now that he was feeling more himself, Steve could look at his feelings more objectively, and they still didn't make sense. Kono was his partner, his best friend, but did it so follow that he should want to be with her 24/7? Steve didn't think so, but he still felt that way.

**H-5-O**

Rachel opened her eyes slowly and saw Danny there, holding her hand and watching her face. When their eyes met, he reached up and gently brushed some hair out of her eyes.

"Danny?" she said.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Is... is everyone all right? Steve was there. I don't understand."

"Yeah. After you went missing, Chin decided to accept the governor's offer to restart 5-0. Then he brought Steve and Kono in to help. And everyone's fine. Steve's got some bruises and Kono has a scratch on her face... Uh, Stan's dead."

"I know. He wanted to take me away from you. He was working with them. But why?"

"Because we got too close. Just like when they framed Steve. But they're all gone now. It's safe, and Mom and Dad are bringing Grace down in a couple of days."

"Is it... really safe?"

"Rachel, they're all dead. Steve and Kono took them all out. They... they protected their family."

"I didn't know I was family."

"I love you. That makes you family. Steve's gonna let us stay at his place until we find somewhere else."

"That's too much."

"I know, but he wants to. I think he'd be offended if we said no. Plus Mom can keep him in line when she gets here."

"I can't wait until everyone is together. I'd like to spend more time with your team."

"You might be tired of them before this is over. Last night, Steve and Kono slept on the beach."

"Are they..."

"No. They just got really close through this whole thing. Kind of like me and him before."

"Before. Not anymore?"

"We're... something like it. I don't know. With everything that's happened, we haven't talked much. As much, I should say."

"I can't imagine you ever not talking much. I'm sure things will get back to normal. Or something like it."

"Yeah." Danny nodded. "Something like it."


	17. Families

**Thank you all once again for the reviews. There will be a few more chapters; I don't know how many. There are still a few things to be resolved yet.**

**Chapter Seventeen "Families"**

"_**Families are about love overcoming emotional torture."~Matt Groening**_

Kono wasn't sure why leaving Steve's house in the morning felt strange. Perhaps because she wasn't sure she would ever come back. At least, not like before. She had a feeling the closeness she had enjoyed with him was at an end.

For some reason, when she got in her car, Kono felt a lump rise in her throat. What was wrong with her? Looking in the rear-view mirror, she saw Steve waiting by the door. They had just come back from probably their last swim together.

Kono shook her head and swallowed hard. She could see how her time with Steve had been unhealthy at times. It was too much. She wasn't sure where to go from there, but some time with Chin should clear her head.

Kono pulled out of Steve's driveway and remembered what he had said about missing her and not wanting her to leave. Then she knew she was doing the right thing. Staying with him wasn't good for either of them. It was dangerous.

When she got to Chin's house, Kono's cousin was waiting for her on the porch. He smiled, but with in that was a knowing look Kono had seen so many times. It infuriated her.

"Hey, Cos'," she said, determined not to give anything away.

"Hey, Kono," he replied. "I have to say I'm surprised you wanted to come over."

"Why? It's been too long since I've spent time with my favorite cousin."

"Favorite, huh?"

"Yeah, you've always been my favorite."

"That's good to know." Chin took Kono's bag and they headed inside. "Everything okay?" he asked, almost offhandedly.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Kono replied, equally distracted in tone.

"I mean with you and Steve. Seemed like you two were pretty close."

"We were—are. I just thought you and me could use a little bonding time, you know."

"Right. So, you spend all that time with him and now what?"

"He's my partner; we'll see each other all the time."

"Maybe not for long."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's too soon to say."

Kono shook her head. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"Of course you do. Why else would you be here? You don't want to be alone, but staying with him has become awkward. Or it hasn't, and that worries you."

"Chin, I don't know what you're talking about."

"So you just like to wear the expression of a kicked puppy when you come to see your favorite cousin?"

"I didn't come over here to be lectured."

"Kono, I'm trying to understand what's going on. Where are you and Steve?"

"Nowhere. He's my friend and I stayed at his house for a few days. Danny was there too."

"I'm not suggesting that I think something's going on between you two, but I do think something's going on in your head. And maybe his."

"You're imagining things." Kono shook her head. "There could never be anything but friendship between us."

"If you say so."

"Yes. I do say so."

**H-5-O**

Steve watched Kono leave and felt like a part of him was going with her. For the first time since Danny had come back, he was alone in his house. He hated it.

Steve was thankful that Danny and Rachel would be there later and the rest of the Williams family were coming, but it wasn't the same. For some reason, Kono leaving felt like the end of something.

Steve told himself to snap out of it. He was being ridiculous, and it was scaring him. He felt like a sentimental teenager.

The hours stretching out ahead seemed especially long until Danny and Rachel arrived. Steve wasn't sure what having Rachel over would be like, but it had to be better than this.

Steve was granted reprieve of his loneliness unexpectedly when someone knocked at his door. He thought it a little strange, but went to answer it anyway. What he saw left him temporarily speechless.

"Well?" the visitor asked. "Are you going to ask me in McGarrett."

"Governor Kalani?" Steve replied. "Yes sir." He stepped aside and the governor came in. He took a seat in the living room and Steve followed him.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here," Kalani said.

Steve nodded. "Yes."

"Are you aware that Lieutenant Kelly wants you to run 5-0?"

"Yes sir."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"Sir?"

"How do you feel about being in charge or not?"

"I won't deny that I would like for things to be as they were. I am content where I am though."

"Do you believe 5-0 would function better with you in control?"

"I think Danny and Chin would function better."

"Are you trying to avoid giving me a straight answer?"

"Are you trying to avoid asking a straight question?"

"All right, I'll give it to you straight. Lieutenant Kelly refused, up until two days ago, to take the job. He told me all along it was your job and he wouldn't do it. Then Detective Williams' ex-wife goes missing and Kelly immediately takes my offer. Family, right? Well, he insisted on bringing you and Officer Kalakaua in too. Then he told me he hoped I would see his point. And I said I hoped so too."

Steve seemed to be thinking for a long moment. "So you want me to lead 5-0 again?"

"I'm seriously considering it, but I want to know how this is going to work out. I don't want all this commando stuff that got you arrested. I understand that Jameson betrayed you; she betrayed everyone. But from here on in, I want a touch more professionalism."

Steve nodded, knowing this was going in the right direction, but somehow feeling a little sad. "Usually Danny kept me from breaking any laws. What happened a month ago was because I had been framed. I wasn't acting as an officer of the law; I was an individual trying to clear my name and get my life back. And whatever you decide, sir, I want to thank you for giving me a little of it anyway."

"So, if you were leading 5-0 again, you understand that you would report to me and I am by no means as lenient as Jameson. McGarrett, I have no ulterior motives, no hidden agendas. I want this task force to be a success because it's good for Hawaii. Do you think I can trust you to have the same goal?"

"Absolutely, sir. That's the only reason I'm still on this island."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that." Kalani smiled. "With a family like yours, any man would have a hard time leaving."

Kalani stood up and Steve walked him to the door. They said goodbye and Kalani promised to get back to Steve in a few days.

Steve wasn't exactly sure whether his impromptu job interview had gone well or not. He didn't have much time to think about it because Danny's car pulled up a few minutes after Kalani left.

**H-5-O**

Rachel wasn't sure how she really felt about staying at Steve's house. But even though she was Stan's sole beneficiary, she would not stay in his house, not to mention Danny. The drive was strangely silent. Danny stared at the road ahead, lost in thought, and Rachel watched him. There was so much to talk about, but neither of them seemed to be able to find the words.

"I'm all right," Rachel finally said.

"What?" Danny said.

"I know you're worried about me. I know you're trying to figure out how to make everything better. Yes, I was scared, but I'm all right now. And I know you were scared too, but it's over. That man can't hurt any of us anymore; he's dead and this island is that much safer for our family."

"You're right." Danny nodded with a slight smile. "You always are."

"I believe we've had this conversation."

"I suppose it's inevitable. There are two people in this world who are always right, and I have to be family to both of them."

"Have to?"

"All right, I'm happy to, but don't tell Steve I said that."

"Oh? I think he'd be touched to know how much he means to you."

"Sure he would, but he'd never admit it."

"Are you ever going to tell him that he's the reason you decided to stay?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think he'd rather not know. He thought I was leaving for good, and if he thought he was the only reason I didn't, I think he'd feel really guilty."

"He's not the only reason though. You would have gone wherever I went, but I knew you needed to be here with your whole family."

"I do," Danny admitted. "And I'll always be grateful that you saw that and gave up what you wanted for me."

"I didn't give anything up. I want to be with you, Danny. Wherever family is, is home."


	18. Letting Go

**Thanks for all the encouraging reviews. You guys are the best! I really have no idea how many more chapters there will be, but that's good, because it means probably several.**

**Chapter Eighteen "Letting Go"**

"_**If you love somebody, you let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were."~Unknown**_

Steve watched Danny help Rachel out of the car. Seeing them together and relatively happy made him smile in spite of himself. He was beginning to see how hope had become something of a drug to him. It made him feel good even when he wasn't sure if he should. But seeing Danny and Rachel together told him that something made sense. That good things could happen.

When Steve let them in, Rachel gave him a big smile. He couldn't remember seeing her so happy. In spite of her tired eyes, she looked so alive. Steve knew that was because of Danny. He had that effect on people.

"Thank you so much for having us," Rachel said, taking Steve's hand.

He smiled back. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he said.

The look in Rachel's eyes told Steve she knew how much it meant to him. The smile remained on his face as he led them upstairs and left them to settle in. He went out onto the deck and watched the late afternoon sun sink lower toward his horizon. He thought of it as his anyway.

The peaceful silence was broken when Steve's phone rang. The number looked familiar, but Steve couldn't remember whose it was. He answered, thinking nothing could ruin his afternoon. He was wrong.

"Steve?... It's Catherine," came the voice on the other end.

A million things went through Steve's mind and he felt like he was strangling, trying to say something. "Wh... Why?" he finally said.

"I heard what happened. I wanted to talk to you."

"What for?" Steve tried his best to sound like he didn't care, but he hadn't had nearly enough time to forget how he once felt about the woman on the phone.

"Steve, I heard what you did, that you almost got killed. I..."

"What? You thought that maybe I was worth it after all?" Steve's voice rose.

"Don't be like that."

"Like what?" Steve was shouting now. "Like I'm angry at you? Like I wish I could hate you for what you did to me? What exactly do you want me to stop?"

"Like I had a choice!" Catherine shouted back.

"You had a choice. You could have cared more about me than yourself, but you didn't. And since that's the person you are, I'm glad I found out."

"You don't understand."

"No. No, I don't. I don't understand what I ever did to deserve this. I don't understand why you're calling me when it's so clearly over. I don't understand..." Steve fought to control his emotions. He wouldn't let her know how much she hurt him, though she probably already suspected. "I don't understand why you didn't love me. I almost thought you did."

"Steve, I—"

"Don't you dare say it. I can't believe anything you say."

"Steve, listen to me. That's not true. I made a mistake, but I want to make it right."

"Mistake? Is that what you call it?" Steve actually laughed. "You abandoned me when I needed you. Well, you got what you wanted. You can have your career free of any connections to me."

"I never wanted that. I never wanted to leave you. I just didn't know what to do."

Steve heard the uncertainty in her voice and for a moment allowed himself to sympathize. But he knew that was dangerous. He couldn't let her in again. She knew now how much she had meant to him, but he wouldn't let her take advantage of that.

"Steve," Catherine said, after a long silence. "Can I see you? We need to talk about this in person."

"No," Steve answered immediately. "I don't need to talk about anything. You want some justification or reconciliation, but I'm not giving you either. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more to say. Except goodbye."

A little less control and Steve would have thrown his phone into the ocean. Up until now, he'd thought he was forgetting about Catherine. But their little conversation had him right back in the middle of everything he'd felt a month ago.

He tossed his phone onto one of the chairs and gripped the deck railing. He heard the wood creaking under his hands. He had to pull it together.

But no matter how hard he tried to breathe, to calm down, Steve couldn't shake this. He heard footsteps behind him and wanted desperately to disappear. But it was not to be.

"Hey, you all right?" Danny asked, crossing the deck to stand beside Steve. He knew the answer before he asked.

"No," Steve said in a breath. Then he felt Danny's hand on his shoulder and his own hands became a little less white-knuckled.

And Danny waited as if he knew that Steve couldn't talk just then. But he didn't remove his hand either, communicating that he would be right there until Steve could talk.

**H-5-O**

Kono pulled her hair back and rolled up her sleeves. She wasn't sure why she had come to the beach without her board or any company. There was just something she needed to do, though she wasn't sure what.

She headed over to the place where Steve had met her after not seeing her for a month. It seemed like such a long time ago because so much had changed. Kono had become closer to Steve than she ever thought possible. And what bothered her was that it didn't feel close enough.

She remembered what she had told Chin, that Steve would only see her as a friend. The words now haunted her, but she couldn't explain why, even to herself.

In a childish gesture, Kono kicked at the sand and sat down with a sort of huff. As if her life weren't complicated enough, she had to add an obnoxious crush. But it wasn't a crush. It wasn't anything like it. It was a consuming obsession. One she wasn't sure she wanted to get over.

Kono didn't even bother thinking of what she was going to do. In the back of her mind, she had already decided that keeping a safe distance would be the best idea, but that she was very unlikely to succeed.

Worse still, Kono knew how much pain Steve had been in since everything fell apart. She knew that she had been helpful in the past few days and that he hadn't wanted her to leave. An unbiased observer might take that to mean he was interested in her, but Kono could not imagine a world where Steve McGarrett fell for her. It wasn't possible.

In the end, Kono did the only thing she could do. She got in her car and drove toward Steve's house. He still needed her and she was going to be there, even if it killed her inside.

**H-5-O**

Steve sat down with a sigh he didn't try to hide. Resting his head in his hands, he tried to keep breathing without allowing his feelings to take over. Danny sat next to him, never taking his eyes off Steve.

Finally, Steve looked up toward the horizon. "How's Rachel?" he asked.

Danny watched him carefully as he answered. "She's okay," he said. "She's sleeping."

"Good." Steve nodded. "That was, uh, that was Catherine on the phone."

Danny understood what that meant. Steve had told him about her visit a month before. From the looks of things, their conversation had not been very nice.

"What did she say?" Danny asked.

"Nothing I believe," Steve said. "Something about mistakes and making things right. I guess she thought that would mean something to me."

"Does it?"

"It means she wants to pretend nothing happened. Pretend she didn't abandon me when... But it doesn't matter. I told her there was nothing to say. Hopefully, she'll leave me alone now."

"Will that make it go away?"

Steve shook his head. "It's never going away."

"Believe it or not, I know how you feel. I guess everything ended up okay for me, but I was in your place once."

"Catherine's not Rachel, Danny. She doesn't care about other people. I knew that, but... I guess I ignored it, hoped I could change her, I don't know."

"You're right. And it's good that you know that now."

"Yeah. I won't be making that mistake again."

"Doesn't seem like you'd have to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've found someone you can trust, who cares more about other people than herself."

"Are you talking about Kono?" Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yeah. You're brilliant."

"Danny, we're not..."

"Sure. But you could be."

"No, we couldn't." The words were out of Steve's mouth before he really knew exactly what they meant.

"Why not?"

"Because she's..."

Danny raised his eyebrows and didn't say anything.

"Okay." Steve held up his hands. "She is my partner, and my friend. And, yes, I can trust her more than anyone, but that doesn't mean anything like what you're suggesting."

"I was talking about how she stuck by you, how she didn't care what anyone thought."

"But she's just like that. I mean, when Chin was accused of stealing all that money, she did the same thing."

"Yeah, she is like that. She's perfect for you."

"Danny, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but this is ridiculous."

"Why? Because you work together? Because she's a rookie? What?"

"Because she would never think of me that way."

"Aha! Now we're getting somewhere. You definitely could think of her that way, but you're adorable insecurity says she couldn't."

Steve frowned. "_Adorable_?... Anyway, this is not helping. Kono is everything Catherine isn't, but she's never going to be with me."

Danny sat back in his chair and followed Steve's eyes, staring off at the horizon. "I'm sorry," he said, meaning it. "But allow me to disagree."


	19. A Friendship

**Thanks for the fantastic reviews. A few more chapters to come.**

**Chapter Nineteen "A Friendship"**

"**Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one'."~C.S. Lewis**

When Steve heard a car in the driveway, he immediately knew who it was. Still, he was surprised. The likelihood of her showing up right then seemed low, but then he saw her walking down toward the beach. The irony was not lost on him.

"Never, huh?" Danny said.

Steve glared at him. "You have an overactive imagination," he said.

"Sure." Danny grinned.

"Shut up."

Steve got up and left Danny sitting there. As he walked through the house, he felt a strange urgency to get to her. At the same time, he didn't know how he was going to talk to her after everything he had just been thinking.

When he got to the beach, Steve was practically running. "You're back?" he said, not realizing that he was breathing heavily.

Kono turned to look at him. "Yeah," she said. "I was thinking..."

"About what?" Steve was mortified that his voice sounded hopeful.

"That I know you're having a lot of company, but if you really want me to stay, I will."

"I..." Steve hadn't been expecting that. He didn't know what to say.

"I mean, you didn't want me to leave, and being a good friend, I should stay."

Friend. She was being a good friend. But did Steve really want her to stay now that he had all of Danny's ideas in his head? Yes. He did.

He finally shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Yeah," he said. "I do want you to stay, but only if you want to."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."

And there was what Steve had always found so beautiful about Kono. She wanted to do all the hard things that friends and family had to do. She was willing to be ostracized from her family, her job, to lose everything else just for those she loved. Steve counted himself very fortunate to be one of those people. He didn't know what he would do without her.

"It means a lot to me," he said, knowing those words didn't describe half of what he was feeling.

Kono seemed to notice because she asked Steve, "Is everything okay?"

Somehow, Steve found himself telling her the whole story of Catherine's phone call and everything they had said. And as he did, he felt less of the extreme emotions he had before. The feelings were still there, but telling Kono about it made them bearable.

They were sitting in the sand, watching the sun go down and Kono rested her hand on Steve's arm. She didn't ask him to tell her how he felt. She knew he needed to, so he would in his own time. She knew Steve had loved Catherine, and her betrayal had affected him more than even he knew. So, she waited.

The sun was almost gone when Steve sighed and put his other hand over Kono's. "I didn't know if I was strong enough," he said. "But I guess I know there's no way I could ever trust her again, so letting her go wasn't as impossible as I thought it might be. Though, I never thought I would have to."

"You shouldn't have had to," Kono said, not bothering to keep the venom out of her voice.

"I really should have known better," Steve said, shaking his head.

"Than to fall in love?" Kono asked. "I'd never considered that a flaw."

"I just take things to seriously. Our relationship should have ended a long time ago, but... I kept calling. She never promised anything, never said it was real."

"Have you ever treated any relationship like it wasn't important?"

There was a significant pause and Steve shifted a little, making Kono's hand fall away from his arm. "No," he said.

"Then you can't act like it was your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"It'd be easier if I had. There would be someone to blame without acting like the jilted ex."

"You're not."

"Really?"

"No. You haven't said anything negative about her. I mean, not really negative. Most people in your position would. I mean, I feel like saying all sorts of negative things, and I haven't even met her."

"Thanks... I guess."

"Everyone needs an overprotective best friend."

"Well, you're doing a fantastic job."

"That's why I knew I had to come back."

"I'm really glad you did."

Kono smiled wide. In spite of the fact that they had been dancing around their true feelings, she and Steve both felt better.

**H-5-O**

Danny made dinner, and felt a little strange at how quiet the house was. But he knew the noise of his family's arrival the next day would make them all wish for this. He smiled at the thought. Soon, his whole family would be in the same house. As he thought about what that meant, it surprised him, though it shouldn't have. His whole family meant his New Jersey family and his Hawaii family. Sometimes, Danny wasn't sure where one ended and the other began. It was like trying to tear himself in half, and he was glad he no longer felt like he had to.

Danny wasn't sure where he was with Steve. He knew they would always be friends, but he wasn't sure how much. He was glad Steve and Kono had whatever it was they had. Danny wasn't really sure what it was, but the things he had said to Steve earlier were all the result of much thought on the subject. He didn't know if it would go anywhere, if the two of them would ever realize that they were perfect for each other.

After a while, Rachel came downstairs with a knowing smile on her face.

"Are you happy about the lasagna, or something else?" Danny asked.

"While your lasagna is almost as good as your mother's," Rachel said, "I was thinking about the two 'friends' on the beach."

"Spying on people isn't nice."

"I was just admiring the view. I didn't mean to spy."

"Of course not. So, why the Cheshire Cat look?"

"Well, you said there wasn't anything between them."

"As far as they know," Danny clarified.

"I see. I suppose it's just so rare to see two people so..."

"Close, in sync, meant to be?"

"I know I'm not really an authority on this, but it does seem so."

"I guess we can only hope they see it."

"Or..."

"No. No or."

"All right, but you know your mother will say something."

Danny looked momentarily frightened. "You're right. I'll have to warn them."

**H-5-O**

Steve was laying on his back in the sand, enjoying the way the last of the sun's rays reflected off of Kono's hair. He could see a pattern in his own contentedness. He was on his beach with Kono. Nothing had ever felt better. Not even all the good times he spent with Catherine, or the times he was alone. Even Danny didn't make him feel this good.

Steve knew there was something to what Danny had said. He did have feelings for Kono that could not precisely be defined by friendship. But that didn't mean he had to do anything about it. For the first time in months, Steve's life seemed to be going right. Why mess it up?

Still, when Danny called them in to dinner, Steve didn't want to leave. Kono stood up and offered him her hand. As he took it, he felt the bruises on his chest protesting. Kono noticed the small flicker of pain in his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Steve replied, rubbing his chest lightly. "Just a little sore."

When they walked into the dining room, Danny glared at them.

"What?" Steve spread his arms.

"You're tracking sand everywhere," Danny said.

"Yeah, on my floor that I clean." Steve crossed his arms.

"You will not be doing anything for the next week. So, I'll probably end up cleaning up the sand... Anyway, you need to be prepared for when my mom gets here."

Kono leaned over the baking dish in the middle of the table and took a long breath. "Is she going to cook like this?" she asked.

"Better," Danny replied.

"Then I think we'll all deal with the rest."

"Danny, I don't want your mom doing everything," Steve said.

"Tough."

Not another word was said on the matter. Everyone enjoyed dinner and Steve and Kono had a hard time believing that anything could be better than Danny's lasagna, and were looking forward to the arrival of the rest of the Williams family.

After dinner, Danny ordered Steve and Rachel away, saying they couldn't help clean up and better get used to it. So, they settled in the living room and any fear of awkward silence dissipated quickly.

"I wanted to thank you," Rachel said.

"Don't," Steve replied.

"I didn't mean for all this, though it means a lot. I was talking about how you took care of Danny when I didn't. I wasn't there for him when his partner died or when his bother left. Not really. And I haven't been much help through all this."

"I think getting kidnapped sort of excuses you... but I guess you're welcome. I could as easily thank you for coming back to him and making sure he stayed here."

Rachel nodded. "He belongs here. I guess that's one good thing that came of my mistake."

Steve cringed at hearing that word again. He knew it wasn't the same with Rachel. He knew she really was sorry for leaving Danny in the first place.

Rachel shook her head, still thinking on her last comment. "I can't believe Stan was so involved. It's hard to imagine him doing that."

"I heard them talking." Steve realized that he hadn't told anyone what he'd heard yet. "Stan said he was going to get you out of the country. That was the deal for letting you go with him."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Then that does make a little sense. He always thought money and power solved everything."

"Look what that got him."

Rachel nodded. "Yes, it's because of people like you and Danny that none of them got away with it. And... please don't tell him. He worries, and it doesn't matter now."

Steve nodded in agreement. There was no need to bother Danny with a past that was dead.


	20. Those Who Matter

**Sorry it's taken so long. I've really been slacking off on my stories. But I'm very grateful for all the reviews and favorites and alerts from everyone.**

**Chapter Twenty "Those Who Matter"**

"**Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."~Dr. Seuss**

Against all protests, Steve met Chin at the office in the morning. He wasn't allowed to get the house ready for company, and being away from work, even after being back such a short time seemed strange. Besides, he was only going to make sure Chin didn't need any help. At least, that's what he told himself. Possibly, the explanation had more to do with Steve wanting to reconnect with Chin than an attempt to get any work done. Which, in the end, is why Danny let him go with the promise that Steve would meet them at the airport later.

When he arrived, Steve saw Chin in his office. He wasn't paying attention to Steve's approach, so he was surprised when his door opened.

"I thought you were taking some time off," Chin said.

"After a few days back?" Steve replied. "No, I'm steeling myself for the inevitable descent of overbearing relatives to come."

Chin gave Steve a curious look. "Who?"

"Danny's parents. I guess his mom's worse than he is."

Chin shook his head. "Glad I'm not you, brah."

"Not so fast. You're invited to dinner tonight."

"I am?"

"Sure. The whole family's gonna be there."

"I didn't know I was part of that anymore."

"Hey." Steve met Chin's eyes. "A lot of bad stuff happened, and I may not have agreed with you through most of it, but I know you did everything for us. So, however wrong I think you were, you meant well."

"What's that worth? Meant well?"

"Worth a relationship, I'd say. Listen, it's... not the same without you. Maybe there's a lot to work out yet, but I guess after the governor came over yesterday and told me how hard you tried... I don't know. I know you never wanted any of this."

"He came to see you?"

"Yeah. It was like a job interview, actually."

Chin nodded. "He's warming to the idea?"

"Or something."

"Hey, thank you for understanding. I didn't expect you to."

"Well, neither did I, but it's like Danny said, we're better than a 'real' family."

"We are." Chin nodded and Steve was aware of just how much that meant to him.

"And I should thank you," Steve said. "If you hadn't done all you did..."

"Well." Steve saw a smile in Chin's eyes. "Be good to my cousin and I'll consider us even."

"What?" Steve wanted to pretend he hadn't heard right. That Chin couldn't have just said that.

But Chin only smiled and turned back to his desk.

**H-5-O**

Danny was somewhat surprised to see Kono pacing and biting her nails as they waited in the airport. He thought that of all people, he should be the nervous one after his last time here, but he thought he knew why Kono seemed on edge. Standing up, Danny met Kono mid-pace.

"Steve called," he said. "He's on his way."

Kono gave him a curious look and then nodded.

"Something bothering you?" Danny asked.

"Bored, I guess," Kono said.

Danny knew that wasn't the only reason, but could believe that it contributed. "Maybe you should have gone with Steve."

Kono shook her head. "He needed to talk to Chin. I would have been bored there too."

"I don't think anything will match the excitement you had this week."

"No... It's weird; I'm glad it was me."

"It's not weird." Danny shook his head. "It makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Please don't tell me why you think that is."

"What? That you saving Steve's life felt right because you have feelings for him. Fine, I won't say it."

"You just did!"

"No, I didn't. You inferred it, which means I'm right."

"Technically, you said it. So, this qualifies as what I would call meddling."

"I told you, I'm getting you ready for my mom. I'm serious. She will notice and she will say something."

"Well, thanks for the heads up."

"I think what I meant is that you two should figure it out before she gets a chance to ask you about it."

"There's nothing to figure out."

"Wrong. There is always something to figure out."

"You're terrible."

"I know. But tell me something I don't."

"What?"

"That you won't hurt him."

"Hurt him? Danny, what are you talking about?"

"He's a lot more sensitive than he seems."

"I... I know. But I don't think—"

"Please, spare me. You two are like..." Danny waved his hands as if searching the air for the right words. "I don't know."

"Neither do I." Kono crossed her arms and watch the doorway. "Just, don't tell Steve."

"Tell him what?"

"The stuff I said."

"Sure. It's only fair; I didn't tell you what he said."

"What did he say?"

"Do you want this to be fair."

"No! What did he say?"

"Something about how you would never be with him and not 'thinking of him that way' and so on."

"He said that?"

"Well, under some protest. He didn't want to talk about it either... You realize that if you don't do something, I will tell him about this conversation. To be fair."

"Did I tell you, you're terrible?"

"You may have mentioned it."

**H-5-O**

Steve was aware of how much he still had to figure out. He knew things were shifting between himself and Kono and he was beginning to see what that meant. But at the moment there was a more pressing matter. He was running late, so when he ran into the airport, the visitors had already arrived. Steve could see everyone hugging and talking excitedly. They hadn't seen him yet, so he stood and watched them for a minute.

Steve caught Kono's eyes as she was hugging Grace and he could see the way her face lit up. But he couldn't think about that now. Grace noticed him, and she did much less to conceal her joy.

The entire airport must have heard the sound of the little girl's voice shouting, "Uncle Steve!" Grace wiggled out of Kono's arms and ran to Steve.

The bruises on his chest screamed in protest as she practically tackled him, but Steve didn't care. It felt good to have her little arms around his neck, to feel her heart racing against his. A barrage of happy memories came flooding back to Steve's mind and he felt a sense of completeness, that the things that had been gradually getting better were almost settled.

"I missed you so much," Steve found himself saying.

Grace pulled back just enough to look Steve in the eye. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," Steve replied. "I'm really happy that you're going to stay."

Grace hugged him again, this time her vice grip around his neck seemed, if possible, even firmer. "I love you, Uncle Steve," she said.

Steve couldn't help the huge grin that spread across his face. "I love you too, Grace."

**H-5-O**

Michael and Julia Williams were not the least bit surprised at their granddaughter's reaction to the tall stranger. Aside from seeing her parents again, Uncle Steve was all she could talk about. He sounded almost fictional in Grace's stories, but seeing him, they almost believed the outlandish tales.

When Steve stood up, Grace was still clinging to his neck and everyone was smiling at him. Danny had an amused look on his face and Steve finally got a good look at his parents. They were taller than Danny. Only a little taller.

"And there's the crazy one," Danny said. Then he looked at Kono. "The other crazy one."

She only smiled back at him and went over to stand next to Steve. Danny introduced his parents who said they had heard a lot about Steve.

"All lies," Steve said, looking at Danny.

"Nu-uh," Grace said, still hanging on to Steve. "I told them all about the time you rescued Mr. Hoppy."

Steve looked like he was trying to remember. "You mean the time he was stuck behind Danno's couch?" he asked.

Grace nodded. "I told them how you went in after him and rescued him."

"Well... I guess that's true."

Danny rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you thought it was me," he said. "I don't have nice stories to tell."

"Oh, none at all."

Julia gave Rachel a questioning look. "Are they always like this?" she asked.

"As far as I can tell," Rachel replied with a smile.


	21. Faith

**I am really sorry about how long this has taken. I took a sort of unofficial hiatus from my regular stories while I was in Mexico. But I'm back (I hope) and I intend to finish this story before the new season. Thanks again to all the readers and especially those who review. I hope this chapter has been worth the wait.  
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**Chapter Twenty-One "Faith"**

"_**As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit."~Emmanuel Teney **_

Steve had tried to plan a covert operation to make dinner, but he didn't get any back up and in the end, his mission failed. Julia Williams occupied the kitchen and Steve was forced to relocate.

With nothing to do and company arriving, Steve was put in the awkward position of socializing. Well, it was awkward to him anyway.

Danny, Rachel, and Grace were monopolizing each other's time and Steve felt it only polite to try to entertain Michael. He wasn't sure how to have a conversation with the father of the man who felt like his brother. And Steve knew he was at least part of the reason Danny had decided to stay in Hawaii. So, Steve was indirectly responsible for tearing Danny away from his family.

But Michael broke the ice for him, though not in the way Steve might have expected.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" he asked and for a second, Steve didn't know what he was talking about. That is, until Kono, who was sitting next to him answered.

"We're not," she said.

Steve was a little too surprised to pay attention to the way Kono said those words. "Uh, yeah," he said, looking at her confused.

Michael only nodded and didn't say anything else and Steve got the distinct feeling that he was being quietly laughed at.

Across the room, Danny didn't seem to be paying any attention, but Steve was sure he was behind all this. And at this point, he didn't know exactly how he felt about that.

Kono stood up suddenly. "I'm gonna see if Julia needs any help," she said.

Michael smirked. "Good luck with that," he said.

As Kono left the room, Steve looked over at Danny, who was still oblivious-looking. Michael shook his head.

"He didn't have to say anything," he said. "Anyone can see..."

"Can see what exactly?" Steve asked.

Michael gave him a curious look. "You really don't see it? I mean, how obvious it is?"

"No, I want to know what 'it' is."

"Well... The two of you seem... different."

"That's not vague."

"I'm sorry. And I don't mean to pry or anything. It's just unusual, is all. And if you want some advice, you'd better get your story straight before my wife is the one asking the questions. I can only imagine what Kono's dealing with right now."

**H-5-O**

It didn't start out bad for Kono. Julia was very friendly and let Kono help however she wanted. The conversation started out light with getting-to-know-you sort of stuff. And then Julia asked if Kono had a boyfriend.

"No." Kono shook her head as she sliced zucchini. "Ever since I started this job, it's been difficult to have a social life."

"Oh, I can understand that, dear," Julia said. "But I'd think you'd have that problem solved by now."

"What do you mean."

"Well, it seems as though you and Commander McGarrett have a lot in common."

"Um... I suppose you're right."

"Don't tell me you've never considered it."

"It's not that. It's just the fact that we work so well together, and we're great friends."

Julia nodded thoughtfully as she stirred the pasta. "I suppose that could present difficulties to lesser individuals. And, of course, I know nothing about it, but in this case it seems to me that 'great friends' isn't enough."

Kono stared at Julia for a second not sure whether to be amazed or upset. Either way, she was surprised at how much the woman seemed to know.

"Are you some kind of expert on all this?" Kono asked.

"Well..." Julia looked shy for a split second. "I wouldn't say that. I suppose I just have a sixth sense about these things. I can tell you both have strong feelings for each other. Think about it; would either of you be happy with anyone else?"

Kono did think about it. Every spare moment, she thought about it. Because she now knew that she wouldn't be happy with anyone but Steve. The thought terrified and excited her at the same time.

Before, she never would have dreamed of him thinking of her that way, but what Danny had said earlier gave her some hope. She just wasn't sure if this was the opportunity she should take or not. And she wouldn't know until she tried.

**H-5-O**

Dinner was loud, delicious, and, altogether, a lovely experience. Having such a population of Williams' made things interesting as well as giving Steve some perspective on things. He could tolerate living with Danny. Rachel was fine. Grace, he loved. But he was very glad the entire family wouldn't always be in his house.

Because the McGarrett house was a peaceful place in spite of previous occurrences there. And Steve wanted it to stay that way. Having Kono there had been so natural because she fit. She understood the way of thinking that made Steve live the way he did. The early morning swims and sleeping on the beach. It all made sense to the two of them.

And this other form of life made sense too, if only from a distance. The way everyone talked over each other was irritating at first, but became fascinating after a very short time. Steve understood more and more of why Danny was who he was. He loved seeing all this. And he loved being the one that made this reunion possible.

When dinner was over, everyone moved out into the living room. Julia enlisted Danny's help with the dishes and Michael was playing cards with Grace. Steve began to see where Grace got her poker skills. Rachel had decided to lie down for a while and Steve found himself standing out on the deck, looking at the stars and listening to the waves.

He felt an incredible sense of peace he had only experienced in the last week or so with Kono. Like the times they talked on the couch or the morning they woke up on the beach. Steve never wanted those times to end, but he wasn't sure what would happen now. He knew things were changing between himself and Kono. He wasn't sorry for that, but he didn't like the uncertainty. He wished he could know how she felt.

As if in answer to his wishful thinking, the door behind him opened and closed and Kono came to stand beside him.

"Worst night ever," she said with a laugh.

Steve turned to look at her and smiled. "I'd agree with you, but I've had much worse," he said.

Kono nodded to the side. "Yeah, you're right. But it's up there."

"Depends," Steve said.

"The worst part is, they mean well," Kono went on as if Steve hadn't said anything. "You know?"

"Yeah, I know. You'd think we we're really oblivious the way they go on."

"Maybe we are..." Kono looked for confirmation in Steve's eyes, but it was too dark to see. "Danny said I had to talk to you or he would."

"He talks to me anyway."

"I mean, he would tell you what I said."

"Are you gonna tell me what you said?"

"Well, I have to because Danny told me what you said."

Kono noticed the small movement that signaled Steve's reaction to that statement. He was uncomfortable.

"It seems," Kono said. "That we are—were—both operating under the misconception that the other didn't feel the same way we did."

"Misconception?" Steve said. "Was I wrong?"

"Very. But there was something else Danny said. Something that does concern me now."

"What?"

"He wanted me to promise not to hurt you. It didn't make sense at first, but now it does. Because we all know you deserve someone who will never let you down. I'm not sure I can do that, but I know I would always try."

Steve moved so that he was facing Kono straight on, even though they couldn't see each other's faces very well.

"I've told you how much I trust you," Steve said. "I'm not going to forget that you were the only person I had for a while, even though that's not the case anymore. I understand that you aren't sure if you can do this. I'm not sure either. But because I trust you, I know I want to try."

Kono didn't say anything for a moment and Steve thought that maybe he had said too much.

"Well," she finally said, exhaling deeply. "That's good to know."

Steve let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Is that all?"

"No." Kono took his hand, suddenly. "I think we should keep everyone in the dark about this for a little while because of how obnoxious they were. You know, payback."

Steve smiled and squeezed her hand. "Would you like to go for a walk then?"


	22. Happily Ever After

**Apparently, I have a complex that won't allow me to finish anything in a timely manner. However, I have to finish this story before the new season. So, If next Sunday shows up and I haven't updated, you all need to send me strongly worded messages.**

**Anyway, contrary to the title, this is not the end., so hang in there a little while longer. And thank you all for reading and reviewing. I love you all!  
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**Chapter Twenty-Two "Happily Ever After"**

"_**While Cinderella and her Prince **_**did****_ live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they _lived_."~Ever After_**

Steve and Kono walked along the beach, talking about whatever came to mind. It was easier than either of them thought it would be. Once the fears had been put to rest there was nothing in their way. This was somewhat frightening in itself, because it removed all boundaries that had already been deteriorating. They would have to set new ones.

"You know, there's no way we're gonna keep this a secret," Steve said as they walked, still hand-in-hand.

"I just meant not actually saying anything," Kono said. "Because Danny and Chin like to act like they know everything."

"They would probably argue that it's not acting if they really do know everything."

"Yeah, but I thought you knew everything."

"No, I'm always right."

"What's the difference?"

"One is about knowledge and the other is about truth."

"Um... Yeah, what I just said."

"Ask Danny. He thinks he's a philosopher."

"You know, that's why I'm surprised he and Chin didn't get along better."

"Maybe that is why. They're too much alike." Steve became a little more serious. "I asked Chin to come."

Kono tried to see his eyes in the dark. She could hear the disappointment in his voice and she had wondered what her cousin was doing.

"Why wouldn't he come?" she said, not really asking.

Steve looked out at the black water. He didn't have an answer, but he had his suspicions and he would be sure to find out in the morning.

Kono could feel the tension in his hand and this wasn't how she had expected the evening to go. She had anticipated either incredible awkwardness or the heretofore comfortable closeness it had been. Bringing up her cousin always seemed to drag both of them down.

Kono sighed and slipped her arm around Steve's waist. He leaned into her and rested his hand on her opposite shoulder.

"Things are getting better," Kono said. "But it won't be perfect all of the sudden."

Steve pulled her closer and wrapped his other arm around her. He breathed in the scent of her hair mixed with the ocean breeze and felt like she was right. And he wasn't about to take what he had for granted anymore.

"We should go in," Steve finally said. "I know Grace was excited about sharing a room with you."

**H-5-O**

Danny was sitting on the couch, waiting, when Steve and Kono finally came back. The fact that they were holding hands was not lost on him, but he wasn't sure if that actually meant what most people would expect.

"So," he said. "Have a nice evening?"

"Yes," Kono said with a smirk. "It was very nice. Is Grace upstairs?"

"Yeah, she's getting ready for bed. I was about to come looking for you two."

"And being superheroes, we read your mind," Steve said.

"Right. So?"

"So, what?" Kono shrugged and hurried up the stairs before Danny could reply.

"Really?" he said, turning to Steve. "I'm not stupid."

"No one thinks you are, Danno," Steve replied, walking over to the couch and moving pillows around.

"What are you doing?" Danny asked, getting up.

"I'm sleeping here. Is that okay?"

"Are you sleeping like that? With your boots and all?"

Steve stood to his full height, hands on his hips. "Maybe you should go back to New Jersey," he teased.

"Maybe I should," Danny retorted.

Steve smiled and Danny was only a little surprised when he hugged him quickly.

"Thanks," Steve said as he moved toward the stairs.

"For what?" Danny asked spreading his arms.

"Not going back," Steve said. "...And everything else."

Then he disappeared up the stairs, leaving Danny alone in the living room, shaking his head.

**H-5-O**

Grace was brushing her teeth in Steve's bathroom and Rachel was putting away her clothes as Kono came into the room.

"So this is the secret lair," she said, looking around.

"Is it?" Rachel asked. "Looks deceptively normal to me."

"Deceptively being the operative word." Kono laughed. Then she turned serious. "Maybe that's why Steve loves it here so much; it's so normal."

She walked over to the dresser, without thinking. She pulled open a likely looking drawer and peeked inside. Cargo pants. There might have been some jeans in there. Kono opened the next drawer. T-shirts. That's what she was looking for.

Kono pulled a shirt from the bottom of one of the stacks. It was dark blue with a Navy insignia on the shoulder. She was pretty sure Steve had a million of these. Enough that he wouldn't mind her borrowing one.

Of course, Steve chose that moment to come into the room. "Um..." he said from the doorway.

Kono whirled around as if she had been caught stealing.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked, half smiling, half confused.

Kono held up the shirt. "Is it okay if I borrow this?" she asked.

Steve smiled wider. "Sure."

It was about that time Grace came running into the room and jumped onto the bed. She pulled the covers around her and smiled at Steve.

"Will you tell me a story, Uncle Steve?" she asked.

"You don't want to hear a story from Danno?" Steve asked, sitting next to her.

Grace shook her head. "I haven't seen you in forever," she said. "And you tell good stories."

Kono came back wearing Steve's shirt and crawled under the covers with Grace. "I would have to agree," she said.

"I'm under attack," Steve said.

"You'll survive," Kono said, getting comfortable.

Steve sighed. "Fine," he said. "I'll tell a story, but no interruptions and no complaining."

Grace nodded vigorously and Kono gave an innocent smile.

Steve didn't believe either. But he began his tale anyway: "Once upon a time, there was a princess of Hawaii. She spent her time surfing and protecting her subjects from anything that tired to hurt them. Like the evil gang-dragons."

"What's a gang-dragon?" Grace asked.

Steve had expected this. "It's a really big dragon and they always fly together, so they're really dangerous."

"Okay. Can the princess be Kono?"

"Uh... sure. So, Princess Kono fought the gang-dragons and single-handedly saved the island."

"Wait a second," Kono said. "I'm pretty sure the princess had some knights or something helping her."

"Okay... there were three knights who usually got into trouble, or got captured by dragons and the princess always had to save them."

"I don't think that's what happened," Kono argued.

"Isn't this supposed to be my story?" Steve asked.

"I'm commandeering it."

"You can't commandeer a story, you can only commandeer vehicles."

"The story is a vehicle to share one's thoughts, and I'm commandeering it."

"That's not fair."

"Tough. So the princess got to work with these awesome knights who taught her how to slay dragons and rescue peasants. And one day the princess got captured, but the knights followed her and took out all the dragons and rescued her. Then they threw her a party and gave her presents like this."

Kono pulled off her necklace and showed it to Grace.

"Hey, Danno has one just like this," she said. Then she looked Kono in the eye. "Is he one of the knights?"

Kono smiled and nodded.

"And Uncle Steve and Uncle Chin are the other two!" Grace deduced.

"Now you've given away everything," Steve said, giving Kono a mock glare.

Kono smiled. "You're the one who created this obvious premise."

"Fine." Steve stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Wait." Grace sat up on her knees. "I need a kiss goodnight," she said.

Steve smiled and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "There," he said. "Can you sleep now?"

Grace wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Uncle Steve," she said. "I hope we never go away again."

Steve hugged her back. "I love you too, Gracie," I said. "And I hope so too."

Satisfied, Grace snuggled back under the covers and Steve tucked her in. He was about to leave when Kono sat up.

"Hey," she said. "What about me?"

Steve walked around the bed and bent to kiss her cheek, but Kono moved her head and caught Steve's lips. The brief touch of her soft lips made Steve realize how far he had already fallen for Kono.


	23. A Universal Experience

**Well, I'm being good and updating. I think there will be one or two more chapter. Thanks to everyone for reading!  
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**Chapter Twenty-Three "A Universal Experience"**

"_**Food is our common ground, a universal experience."~James Beard**_

Steve woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of someone in the kitchen. He looked at the clock and wondered who would be up at five-thirty.

As he sat up, Steve let out a low groan. All this talk about how comfortable his couch was had be grossly exaggerated. And he would never admit it, but his chest still hurt a little bit. Not that it would be interrupting his morning swim.

As early as it was, Steve got back to the house before anyone else was awake, except Julia who had been in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading a thick book.

"Good morning," she said brightly a Steve came back inside.

"Morning," Steve replied, smiling.

"Is this normal?"

"What?"

"You sneaking out of the house at sunrise to swim off to China and back before breakfast."

Steve couldn't help laughing a little at how much she sounded like Danny. "Yes," he said. "I think I've spent almost as much of my life in water as I have on land."

"Hmm..." Julia tapped her jaw. "I see."

Steve made his way into the kitchen. "But don't approve?"

"Oh, I hardly think I am an authority on the matter."

_She's like Danny. Only passive-aggressive_, Steve thought. He smiled and started going through the refrigerator.

"Oh, I can do that," Julia said as Steve was starting breakfast.

"I am well aware of your cooking abilities," Steve said. "But you don't have to."

"_I_ am well aware of _that_." Julia took the eggs out of Steve's hands. "I was warned about you, you know?"

"Warned what?" Steve had his suspicions.

"Something about stubbornness and being impossible." Julia waved absently, as if to remove Steve from the kitchen.

"I'm sure there were more creative terms mixed in there," Steve said, moving out of Julia's way.

"Of course."

"You always believe everything Danny tells you?"

"Well, since I understand his language, yes."

"Meaning?"

"He feels responsible for you. And he loves you the way you are. He used to be like this with..."

Steve heard the way Julia's voice hitched as she trailed off. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"With Matt," Steve said.

Julia nodded and didn't say anymore, but made herself busy with breakfast. Steve couldn't imagine what she must have gone through in losing her son like that. And now she was comparing Steve to him.

Maybe Danny did see him that way, but it wasn't the same. Still, Steve was glad to hear it. He knew how much he must mean to Danny if he stayed in Hawaii when he didn't have to. He felt a little guilty for taking him away from his family. But not guilty enough.

**H-5-O**

Chin saw Steve and Kono coming up the stairs before they saw him. He noticed the look they share before he went into his office and she came toward Chin's. He had expected this. All of it.

Kono pushed open the door slowly. "Go a minute, Cos'?" she asked.

"Sure." Chin stood up and moved toward her.

Kono wasted no time. "I'm going to do something you haven't done for me, and that's be honest."

He started to protest, but she stopped him.

"I don't know why you're being this way, Chin," she said. "But you're only hurting people more. Steve was upset that you didn't come."

"But was anyone else?"

"No one else knew he'd invited you. Chin, you're part of this family; you should have been there."

"You don't think Danny wanted some time with his family?"

"Danny? What are you talking about?"

"It's no secret how tense things have been between us."

"Chin, for Danny, tense means he hasn't given up on you. And he would not have been upset if you'd come. You haven't seen Grace in over a month. She asked me where you were. I didn't know what to tell her." Kono shook her head. "Chin, you've fixed all you can. There's nothing more we need from you except that you be with us."

Chin didn't have anything to say to that and Kono hadn't expected him to. She didn't want answers; she wanted him to listen.

"There's one other thing," Kono said.

"What's that?" Chin asked.

"You were right. About me and Steve. Everyone was right."

Chin's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we're... Well, I guess right now, we're seeing how it goes."

"That's very noncommittal."

"It only sounds that way. I mean, when you end up liking your best friend, things tend to start out further along."

"How far along?"

"I don't know. But you know, Danny told me not to hurt him. And it was then I realized that that was possible."

Chin smiled. "You mean, he's not invincible?"

"No. And now I understand why you guys always want to protect people."

"The idea of you protecting Steve is somehow completely reasonable."

"So I'm not the only one who noticed that?"

Chin picked up some papers from his desk. "If you'll excuse me," he said. "I have to go deliver some good news."

Kono gave him a curious look, but didn't ask. "Yeah. And, hey, be sure to come for dinner tonight."

Chin nodded as he left Kono in his office.

**H-5-O**

Steve really wanted to ask Chin himself why he hadn't come last night, but Kono thought she would get better results. Steve had to agree.

When he saw Chin walking toward his office, Steve thought he looked strangely official. He was carrying a neat stack of papers and he came all the way to Steve's desk before he said anything.

"I need you to sign these," Chin said.

Steve looked at the papers, expecting reports or something. What he saw caused him to pause.

"Chin, what is this?" he asked.

"The governor dropped them off this morning," Chin said. "I can't tell you how nice it will be to not have to be the first one here every day."

Steve didn't say anything at first. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. Governor Kalani was giving him his old job back. Once he signed those papers, he was officially head of Five-0 again. And for a second, he let himself wonder if that's what he really wanted.

"Steve?" Chin's voice drew him from his thoughts. "Something wrong?"

Steve looked up and met Chin's eyes. "No," he said and managed a smile. "Everything's great."

Steve signed the paperwork. He could spend his life wondering if it was really where he should be, but at the end of the day, he knew who he was and leading Five-0 was part of that. A lot of things would change and Steve was okay with that. He welcomed it.

Steve picked up the papers and stood up. "I think I'll pay the governor a visit," he said. "And then I wanna know if we've had any cases come up in the last few days."

Chin smiled. "Good to have you back, Boss," he said.

Steve returned the smile and headed out the door. But he turned back for a second. "Hey, Chin, I'm sure you'll be able to make it tonight," he said. "Don't make me call Danny in."

Chin nodded. "No worries," he said.

**H-5-O**

When Steve, Kono, and Chin got back to the house that evening, they were informed that they were late for dinner.

Steve gave Chin a sidelong look and shrugged. "Meet Mrs. Williams," he said.

"Julia," she corrected. "And I'm sure this is your fault."

"You've been listening to Danny too much," Steve said.

"Hey!" Speak of the devil. "What's going on here?" Danny said, coming into the room. His voice sounded more accented than before.

"I was just meeting your new partner," Julia said.

"Not anymore,"Chin said.

"What?" Danny looked between Steve and Chin. "You mean...?"

"Yeah, I'm your boss again," Steve said with a grin.

Danny made an indecipherable face. Then he spread his arms. "I'm gonna hug you again," he said.

Steve had really expected no less. Then Danny turned to Chin.

"I'm gonna hug you too," he said. "You know, I really hated being your partner," he whispered. "But we never would have made it here without you."

"It was a team effort," Chin replied. "Always has been."

"I thought someone said dinner was ready," Steve said, feigning annoyance.

Danny turned to his once again partner, about to make some smart comment, when he stopped. "What? What is that?" he asked, moving closer to Steve's face.

"What?" Steve asked, taking a step back.

"Is that blood?" Danny demanded. "How do you bleed on your first day?"

Steve rubbed the spot on his face and smirked. "It's not mine," he said.

Danny looked at Kono incredulously. "How does this happen?" he asked. "Didn't we have a deal?"

"What are you talking about?" Kono asked.

"I think I said something about you keeping an eye on him."

"Well, I did. I watched him the whole time."

"Oh, this is pointless. Why do I try?"

"I think we might have had this conversation, Danno," Steve said. "Probably a hundred times."

"The food is getting cold, dear," Julia said.

"You're gonna love this," Danny said, instantly changing gears.

Grace took that moment to come running into the room, shouting, "Uncle Chin!"


	24. The Real Thing

**One more chapter after this to complete this sort of drawn out ending. I do apologize for that, but I hope it has been enjoyable and thank you all so much for all the love this story received. I was really surprised and inspired by all of you. Especially those who left constructive criticism. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.  
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**Chapter Twenty-Four "The Real Thing"**

"_**One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead."**__**~Oscar Wilde **_

Danny and Rachel got re-married at the end of the week. On the beach. It was only the small family and a few friends. Kamekona came and provided shave ice. Danny wasn't wearing a tie.

After the small ceremony, the couple took off for a weekend on Kauai. Later that day, Michael and Julia left too. Kono spent some time surfing with her cousin and Steve taught Grace to surf in his backyard.

It was late Saturday afternoon, and Steve and Grace had been in the water all day. As they lay in the sand, letting the sun dry them off, Grace rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow.

"Uncle Steve?" she said.

"Yes?" Steve replied, almost sleepily.

"I wish we could live here forever."

Steve understood completely. Wanting to be with someone you loved, wanting things to always be so simple. But he knew why that didn't really work.

"You'll get to come over all the time," he said. "And you'll be in a new house with your parents and your little brother or sister."

Grace nodded. She did like that thought. "I hope it's a brother," she said.

"Why's that?" Steve asked, turning his head to look her in the eye.

"Because the boys at school won't let me play football with them."

Steve wasn't sure he heard correctly. "You like football?"

"It's _way_ better than tennis... Anyway, they say my football is stupid 'cause it's pink, but Danno gave it to me for my birthday. It's a real one, though, because he couldn't find the squishy kind"

"A football is a football," Steve said, sitting up. "And those boys don't know what they're talking about. Come on." Steve got up and pulled on his t-shirt.

"Where?" Grace asked, also putting her clothes on over her swimsuit.

"Go get your ball. _I'll_ play with you."

A wide grin spread across Grace's face and she ran back to the house. Steve picked up their towels and made sure they didn't leave anything on the beach. He met Grace in the backyard as she was hurrying back to meet him.

"Pass it to me," Steve said, holding out his hands.

Grace threw the pink football, but she dropped her arm as she did and the ball bounced. Steve smiled. He had anticipated this. He picked up the ball and gestured for Grace to come over to him.

"Watch this," he said. He made a throwing motion with his arm, but didn't let go of the ball. "Keep your arm straight and the ball will fly better. Go long."

Grace ran back across the lawn. Steve threw the ball and with a determined look, Grace caught it between her hands and started jumping up and down.

Steve clapped, laughing. "Now throw it back like I showed you."

She learned quickly. Once she got something right it was like a light bulb came on and a whole new world of possibilities opened up to her.

Steve remembered feeling that way when his father taught him to throw a football. Somehow, the way the ball flew through the air was almost as satisfying as catching a great wave.

It wasn't long before Chin and Kono showed up unannounced. For a minute they just watched Steve and Grace playing, wondering if the two of them would ever get tired.

It was after Grace tried to tackle Steve that Chin and Kono made their presence known by laughter.

"Laugh now," Steve said from across the lawn. "In ten years, this girl's gonna be the face of women's pro football."

"But Uncle Steve, I wanna be a detective when I grow up," Grace argued.

The three adults quickly masked looks of alarm. Steve crouched down to Grace's level. He was reminded of the words of his father's recording: _Be anything but that_. He hadn't listened. Grace probably wouldn't either.

"I'm not gonna tell you what to be, Grace," Steve said. "But I think you should seriously consider football instead. Or surfing; you're pretty good at that."

Grace shook her head. "When we were in New Jersey, Danno was reading me Sherlock Holmes and I want to be just like that."

That was difficult to argue with, so no one tried. Secretly, they all hoped Grace would forget about dreams of being a cop, but feared she wouldn't.

"Hey," Chin said, changing the subject. "I thought I'd take you all out to dinner."

"Really?" Grace said excitedly. "Can we have pizza."

Steve laughed. "We've had pizza four times this week," he said.

"Well, yeah, but..." Grace seemed to be looking for the right words. "We haven't had _Hawaiian_ pizza."

**H-5-O**

When Danny came back and heard all that Grace had been up to while he was gone, he gave Steve a fifteen minute lecture on the dangers of sharks and the un-pizza-ness of Hawaiian pizza. Steve smiled the whole time. He wouldn't stop smiling.

Of course, the Williams family then moved into their temporary apartment while they waited for Stan's house to sell. Steve was left alone once again, but somehow that didn't bother him so much anymore. Because he wasn't really alone.

Kono had gone back to her apartment and everyone seemed to be trying to get on with their lives. Steve smiled at the thought of how his life had turned out. A month ago, he had no reason to hope for anything meaningful to ever happen to him again. Now, he had his job and his family back, plus an amazing woman he never knew he needed until she was there.

As if on cue, Kono showed up at Steve's house after Danny and Rachel left with Grace. She always seemed to sense when she might be wanted.

Steve was in the process of putting his house back together after all his guests, so he didn't hear Kono come up the stairs until she was in the guestroom doorway. He had just finished making the bed.

Kono clapped slowly and Steve stood up straight and crossed his arms.

"Are you mocking me?" he asked.

"No." Kono shook her head. "I was just thinking that I won't have to domesticate you."

Steve huffed. "As if you could."

Kono shrugged, leaning against the door frame. "I don't mind an impossible challenge."

Steve smiled. "Neither do I."

"You know, I was thinking," Kono said, a little more seriously.

"About?" Steve asked, picking up the used sheets from the floor.

"Just that I think we should give a name to this."

Steve seemed to be thinking for a second. "None of the usual ones seem to fit, do they?" he finally said.

Kono followed him downstairs to the laundry room in silence. She wasn't sure why this seemed so important. They hadn't even been on a real date.

As Steve started the washing machine, he turned back to face Kono. The look on his face wasn't one she was familiar with.

"What are you doing tonight?" he finally asked.

Kono spread her arms at her sides. "I'm here," she said.

Steve nodded. "Well, before our lives get completely insane again, maybe we should go out and act like a real couple."

Kono smiled. "Sure," she said. "But I think we do act like a real couple and it's the others who are just pretending."

**H-5-O**

Steve and Kono ended up going to Waiola. It wasn't exactly a typical first date, but it was a good place for both of them. It was safe and happy.

Kamekona knew of their recent relationship upgrade and he wasn't about to be quiet about it. As soon as they showed up, he made a big deal of it and everyone within earshot was made aware of the new couple.

Steve and Kono exchanged slightly mortified looks before deciding to ignore it and find a seat. Of course, Kamekona made a show of serving them, and made several comments he thought were funny before leaving them alone.

They talked a little bit about nothing before Steve actually brought up the previous topic.

"You know how you said we need to give what we are a name?" he said.

Kono nodded.

"I think the best way I can make sense of it is to say that the way I feel about you is completely different than anyone else. Before we talked about being best friends, and we have been, but Danny is that, and this is nothing like that. Maybe it started out the same, and I guess that's why it's so hard to put a name to it."

"Well," Kono began. "I know what you mean. I've never felt this way about anyone else. And you're right, I think it's because we were best friends first. But that doesn't describe what we are."

Steve reached across the table and covered Kono's hand with his as she sucked through her straw.

"No," he said. "It doesn't. Because you're more to me than that. You're... the most."

Kono turned her hand over and wrapped her fingers around Steve's. "So," she said. "I think it's safe to say I'm your girlfriend."

Steve smiled. "Very safe."

"Though that's a silly word," she went on. "And I'd venture to say that this is serious."

"Very serious." Steve nodded.

"So what do we call it?"

Steve rubbed Kono's fingers with his thumb. "The real thing," he said.


	25. The End

**Chapter Twenty-Five "The End"**

"_**This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."~Winston Churchill**_

It was as if Monday morning couldn't come soon enough. Steve was up earlier than usual. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as he started his swim. It was crazy to think that the turns his life had taken started on this very beach. Two weeks ago, he had stood there thinking that his life would never be the same. And it wasn't, but not at all like he thought.

Everything had changed since Danny came back, since Rachel was kidnapped. It all got a lot worse before it got better, but Steve couldn't have imagined what "better" really was. He knew things wouldn't be perfect all of the sudden, but they were pretty damn close.

Coming out of the water, Steve saw the slender figure of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen walking toward him. He still didn't know what he'd done to deserve her. He was fairly sure fate had made a mistake, but he wasn't complaining. Kono was perfect for him and he didn't know why it had taken him so long to notice.

More than that, he loved her. He had loved her before he fell in love with her. And she fit into his life as if she had always been there. Now, he couldn't imagine life without her.

"What are you looking at?" Kono asked as she walked across the sand.

"You have to ask?" Steve replied.

"Maybe I just want you to tell me," Kono said, reaching Steve and putting her arms around his neck.

"You know what?" Steve said, wrapping his arms around her.

"What?" Kono asked, looking into his eyes.

"I love you."

Kono smiled and kissed him lightly. "I love you too," she said.

It was as simple as that. Steve leaned closer and kissed Kono again, more seriously. She responded by running her fingers along his neck and teasing the ends of his hair.

"Are you hungry?" Kono asked, pulling away.

"Why?" Steve asked, still smiling.

"Because I thought I'd take you to breakfast in honor of our last hour as partners."

Steve shrugged. "We'll always have Wo Fat's cabin," he said.

Kono laughed. "Yeah, that's very romantic. Go get dressed."

**H-5-O**

Danny arrived last, but no one was going to tease him about it. It was only a matter of minutes before things would get back to the usual routine. There was a mixture of excitement and sadness in the office that morning. Until Steve's phone rang.

"Governor Kalani?" he answered brightly. "Yes sir... All right we're on our way." He hung up and headed for the door. "Let's go, Danno."

Danny gave the others a look as if asking, _what are you gonna do?_

The once-again partners got into Danny's car and began speeding down the highway. Danny didn't bother asking why Steve was all of the sudden driving his car again, or why they were driving so fast. For one thing, he didn't think there was a good answer and if there were, he wouldn't understand it anyway.

"So, where are we going?" Danny asked.

"There's a crime scene on Molokai that the governor wants us to look at," Steve replied.

"So, cruise ship or helicopter this time?"

Steve shook his head. "Jet boat."

"Oh, of course."

"Why do you have a tone?"

"Well, my first day back to normal and I have to sail over a large body of water to look at a dead body. I should have known."

"It's not sailing," Steve said.

"Of course you would get technical about that."

"Yes, I would. Sailing involves a sail. What we're doing is called boating."

"So, what would it be if we were on a battleship?"

"That would never happen, but it would be shipping. Isn't this obvious?"

"Only to you. What do you call what we're doing right now?"

"Driving."

"See, I call it suicide. The guy's already dead, right?"

"I'm a very good driver."

"Yes, but you don't need to be right now. Can't you just drive like a normal human? Oh, wait, I forgot you were some kind of military robot who sometimes develops glitches and has feelings."

"You seem very tense for how well things are going."

"What do you mean? I'm in a great mood."

"I guess I just haven't gotten used to it."

"And what about you? You've been smiling all day."

"I told you, things are going well."

"Except for the dead guy."

"Well, yeah, that's just unfortunate."

"Just."

**H-5-O**

As it turned out, Steve and Danny ended up spending the whole day on Molokai. It started with a simple murder and escalated to a high profile case involving embezzlement and drug dealers and a lot of nasty things.

Danny was exhausted as Steve drove the boat back to Honolulu. He couldn't count how many goons he'd chased that day and not knowing his way around had made things more difficult. But in the end, they'd solved the case and put the perps away.

Steve looked happy still. Danny could understand that. He'd been given a second chance at his whole life, plus some. Danny knew how that felt. They both had their families back together. A lot had changed, but that wasn't so bad after all.

"So, what's the deal with teaching Grace to play football?" he asked.

Steve spared Danny a look before turning back to the ocean in front of him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"She said she couldn't wait to go to school and show all the boys what you taught her."

"Well, apparently they weren't letting her play because of the rather flamboyant shade of her football. So, I taught her some stuff that will make them forget about that."

"I'm a little concerned that you're turning my daughter into a tomboy."

"Hey, she said football was better than tennis. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes... I guess I just thought the ball was something to look at for her. Though I would have liked to have seen you throwing around a pink football with an eight-year-old."

"Bring her over this weekend and you can." Steve smirked and Danny had a feeling he was completely serious. There was no room for teasing there because Steve didn't feel the least bit weird about it. Danny nodded to himself. Yes, his partner was, in fact, human.

**H-5-O**

Back at HQ, everyone set to doing their paperwork for the day. Kono found Steve in his office glaring at his computer. But what concerned her more was the red stain on his forehead.

"Did you get hurt?" she asked, concerned.

"What?" Steve asked, looking up.

Kono touched her own forehead and Steve looked at his reflection in the window.

"I guess so," he said.

"You think you should clean that up?"

"I will when I get home."

"Is that how you always do it?"

Steve looked at her again. "Usually," he said. "A broken arm or gunshot wound would be a little different."

Kono crossed her arms. "So the fact that there's a two inch gash on your head doesn't bother you?"

Steve looked skeptical. "Inch and a half at most," he said.

"No, I'd say it's going on two and three quarters."

Steve ran his finger along the cut and gave Kono a look that said he was not going to admit to anything. She sighed.

"Come on."

"Where?" Steve stood up, glad of a distraction from his paperwork.

"The bathroom," Kono said. "You need that cleaned up."

To her surprise, Steve didn't really resist and he let her clean the cut on his forehead without complaint. She was surprised because she would have complained.

"There," she said, finishing up. "Now your brains won't fall out at least."

Steve took her hand. "Let's go," he said.

They went back out to the main room where Danny and Chin were getting ready to leave. Danny gave Kono an appreciative look and she smiled back.

"I told you I'd take care of him," she said.

_The End_

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><p><strong>Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this story. Of all of my stories, it has the most reviews and hits, so thank you! It's been a great adventure writing this and I'm glad you all came with me on it. Stay tuned for more awesome Five-0 fanfiction!<strong>


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